


She Talks to An Angel

by xx_Katastrophe



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gabenath Baby, Gen, Original Character(s), Supernatural Elements, angel!Emilie Agreste, miraculouses will be used later!, supernatural powers, the rest of the classmates will show up throughout various points in the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 111,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx_Katastrophe/pseuds/xx_Katastrophe
Summary: For as long as she could remember, Adeline Agreste, daughter of Nathalie and Gabriel, often saw a mysterious woman donning all white and with wings watching over her. Who was this woman visiting her? Why was she the only one who could see her? Why did no one believe her? All will be found out in time...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur
Comments: 188
Kudos: 81
Collections: GabeNath Book Club and Art Club Server





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this story starts about 1.5 years post canon, and proceeds forward from there. there will be some time skips between the first couple chapters, just as a heads up!

Nathalie paced back and forth in the bathroom, more on edge than she’s ever been. That dumb white stick sitting on the bathroom sink counter was practically taunting her as it laid face down. Her thoughts raced as she stopped her pacing, back pressing against to the bathroom wall as she closed her eyes, and her thoughts began to drift. She was thinking about Emilie- what would she think about this? Nathalie had begun to date Gabriel… though they kept it a secret to the outside world, those inside of the mansion knew- Adrien, Gorilla, and the other employees. Even most of Adrien’s friends put two and two together when they would come over. She loved Gabriel to pieces, and the sentiment was very obviously returned… but a part of her felt guilty. This was her friend’s husband, it felt unnatural to her- it made her feel like a homewrecker, despite her actually being a home-fixer instead. It was undeniable that there was always a little something special between her and Gabriel… ever since they were young. Even Emilie knew- Gabriel and Nathalie were really good friends, from the moment they first met, and in turn, Emilie and Nathalie became good friends. 

But now, Emilie was long gone. Gabriel finally was able to lay her to rest. It was a difficult moment for all three of them, but their grief only pulled them together, and made their love for each other stronger. Gabriel and Adrien had been closer than ever before, which made Nathalie so proud of them both for taking big strides in repairing their broken relationship. She and Gabriel had gotten closer than before as well- and that was no secret to Adrien either, who noticed before either of them had. It didn’t take long for their intimacy to reach the highest form. Of course, they were always extremely careful- used protection, and good timing, as to avoid any chance of pregnancy. What a scandal that would be. But one time, they ignored their common sense to use protection and… it lead her here, to this moment. She had lost track of counting how long it’s been since she took the test at about 50 seconds in… surely three minutes had to have gone by while she was busy contemplating her decisions that wound up with her here. A strange sensation came over her- as if someone put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, despite being alone in the bathroom, with just her thoughts. Her eyes opened as she stared at the pregnancy test on the counter- which she smuggled into the mansion in her suit, somehow. She supposed now would be a good time to check on it. She took a deep breath, as she carefully picked it up and read it. 

It couldn’t be anymore obvious that it was positive- both lines on the test were quite dark. She should be happy, but she didn’t quite feel that way. She felt anxious, as well as terrified. So many questions flooded her mind at that moment- what would Gabriel think? What about Adrien? What would the world think? As far as they knew, she was just Gabriel Agreste’s assistant, and nothing more. Her stomach felt upset now- but that may have also been because she was pregnant and nervous at the same time. She took a deep breath as she set her test down on the counter, and washed her hands quickly. She took the test and stashed it into her suit jacket, as she exited the bathroom, and returned to the office. As she walked in and quickly sat herself down at her desk again, Gabriel looked over to her. 

“Nathalie, are you feeling alright? You were in the bathroom for quite a while. Do you need to rest?” He asks, before his eyes returned down to his papers. 

She froze- she wasn’t expecting to be questioned about how long she was in the bathroom for. Well, here goes nothing. She stood up from her chair as she approached him. He was beginning to feel a little uneasy as she stood beside him now. “Nathalie…?” He asked, in a softer voice. 

She reached into her suit jacket once more, “Gabriel,” and pulled out the pregnancy test, showing him the very obvious double lines, “I’m pregnant.” 

He nearly fell over. Were they really that careless? Out of all replies he had expected to hear in response his question; this was the last response he thought he would have heard. His mind drew a blank- as evident by the pencil he was holding sliding out of his grip, and onto the floor. He turned to look at her. Nathalie was a little concerned- a slight gust of wind might as well have been able to knock him over. She places a hand on top of his and gives it a small squeeze. “Gabriel?” She called for him, trying to snap him back into reality. 

“This is real, right? Not a belated April Fool’s prank? And when did you buy a pregnancy test?” He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. Nathalie was a little surprised that was his first reaction. 

“Of course it’s real… why would I make a joke out of something serious like this? And I made an extra stop before returning when you sent me out on my errand yesterday.” Nathalie soon found herself being tightly embraced by him, and then lifted up right off the ground. She yelped in surprised, but then smiled a little as he pulled her closer, and her legs wrapped around him. She could see that he was happy- and not his fake happiness- genuine joy was on his face. That was far from what she had expected from him… but his happiness meant the world to her, and allowed her to be slightly more happy about the news herself. 

“Nathalie my dear, that’s wonderful.” He said, as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. She held his face in her hands as she kissed him back. After a few moments, she pulled away from him. She could tell in his eyes, he had so much love for in that moment. In her eyes, he could see that something was bothering her. “...You don’t seem nearly as excited. What’s bothering you?” 

“It’s not that I’m not excited, Gabriel… I’m just scared.” 

“What is there to be scared of? You will make an excellent mother.” 

She sighed as she looks down. “No, it’s not that… What will people say when they find out that Gabriel Agreste is dating his assistant  _ and _ got her pregnant? We can’t keep this a secret forever… What if this ruins your career? What if this ruins us?” 

While he completely understood her worries and recognized they were very valid, he was not afraid. Over the years, he learned to not care what the media thought of him, or his family. His decisions were his, and he was confident in each one. “Out of all the things that could come out about us, those two are the least worrisome. I’d be far more concerned if they discovered the identities of Hawk Moth and Mayura…” He said, as his eyes glanced over to the safe built into the wall, where both miraculous were housed. He kept them, just in case. He looked back to her, “And you know what? Let them find out. Their gossip doesn’t mean much to me, anyway. You, on the other hand, mean the world to me, and I want everyone to know that.” 

Nathalie’s fears were eased for the most part. He made a valid case- this is the least worrisome secret of theirs that could be exposed. “I suppose you’re right… well, in any case… we should probably return to work. We can tell Adrien the news once he returns home from school.” He nodded, and slowly set her down. He picked up the pencil again, and gave her another smooch on the lips. 

“Perhaps you should call a doctor… and please, let me know if you ever are feeling too ill to work.” He says to her, as he returns to his drawings. She nodded, as she continued on with her work as scheduled- while also booking a doctor’s appointment for herself. The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful. The two of them worked- just like they do any other day of the week. Nathalie perked up once she heard the front door to the mansion open. Finally, Adrien was home. They looked to each other, and Nathalie stood up. She opened the office door, to see Adrien about to head up the stairs, presumably to start his homework. 

“Good afternoon, Adrien,” Nathalie greeted him, “how was school?” 

Adrien froze and turned to look back, “It was fine, I guess. How was work?” 

“It was the same business as usual… actually, can you come here for a moment? Your father and I want to talk to you about something.” 

Adrien became visibly more nervous. Both Nathalie and his father wanted to talk to him? That usually only meant bad news, or he was in trouble. Regardless, he nodded, and proceeded to come back down the stairs. “Sure… what’s up?” 

“You’ll soon find out, Adrien, come in.” Nathalie said, as she ushered the boy inside, and closed the door behind them. Gabriel stopped his work as he stepped way from his desk, and stood beside Nathalie. 

Adrien looked at them, trying to avoid eye contact with either of them.“...This isn’t about my latest exam grade in history is it? I tried my best, really, I di--” 

“...We’ll discuss that later, Adrien, but Nathalie and I have something to tell you.” Gabriel then said, as he looked at Nathalie with a small smile, and she smiled back.

Oh, good. They’re both smiling. Surely whatever news they have is going to be good news… Adrien smiled a little too. “Well… what is it?” 

Gabriel grabbed Nathalie’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Nathalie’s pregnant.” 

“You’re going to be a big brother, Adrien.” 

Almost immediately, the boy’s face turned into a huge, ecstatic grin. “Wait, really?! This isn’t a joke, right?” 

Nathalie grabbed the pregnancy test from her desk, and showed it to him. “The test doesn’t lie…” 

Adrien immediately pulled them both into a hug, to which they hugged him back. He looked up at them, and he may or may not be crying a little. “This… is probably the best day of my life.” He then said. Gabriel and Nathalie looked at each other, delighted that Adrien is so happy. They pat his back gently as he just hugs them even longer. Adrien pulls away from them a little. “Can I tell my friends…? Please?” He begged. 

“Well…” Gabriel started, as he looked to Nathalie. She nodded silently. “Yes, you may.” He said, a hand resting on Adrien’s shoulder. Adrien gave them one last hug, before breaking away from them. 

“Thank you Father and Nathalie… I’m so excited! But I really should go do my homework now, too… And practice my piano... “ He said with a chuckle. He waved to them as he exited the office, and proceeded up to his room. He’d see them again in a few hours, for dinner. He dropped his school bag on the floor, as he immediately pulls out his phone. There was absolutely no way he could do his homework at this rate. He just had to tell all of his friends first. He started a massive group text to all of his friends- Marinette, Kagami, Nino, Chloe, Max, Kim, Alya, Ivan, Alix… and a number of others! He was so glad to have been able to go to school and meet all of these people- or else he wouldn’t have anyone to share his excitement with! He began to draft an announcement message to his friends. 

_ “Guys… you’ll never guess what just happened. I’m going to be a big brother! Can you believe it?”  _ He didn’t even think to read it before sending it- impulsively sending the message out to all of his friends. It didn’t take long, before the congratulations began to roll in- and he grinned like an idiot at his phone- he can hardly keep up with all the messages! Some of them were confused- so he filled them in. His phone was swarmed with messages once more- and he was chuckling to himself as he saw how surprised some of the messages were. Oh gosh, they were going to have an impromptu celebration at school? Adrien laughed to himself, as he was absorbed into his texts, and sitting down on his chair at his desk. He felt like he was being watched… but no one was there, at least no one that he could see… 

From the spirit realm… Emilie Agreste watched her son, happily messaging his friends about becoming a big brother. There was a smile on her face as she watched over him. As much as she wished to be there with him, with Gabriel and Nathalie… she knew this was the consequence she had to pay. She selfishly used the broken miraculous, and she knew what she was doing. Despite them not being on the best of terms, Gabriel had wanted to bring her back- but at what cost? The cost of Nathalie, or Adrien? Or some random, unsuspecting citizen? Whoever it may be… she knew it wasn’t worth another person’s life. She watched him, time and time again, try and fail to get those miraculous. She saw everything… so she saw that Adrien was Chat Noir, and she couldn’t stand seeing her son being hurt, thrown around and tossed like a ragdoll as a result of Gabriel’s evil schemes. She didn’t understand why Gabriel had to make it so hard to accept that she was gone, and why he was going through all this insanity. That man truly was stubborn as a bull… but she was glad that Nathalie was taking care of him, and Adrien. Now that she thought back on it, Nathalie was always taking care of the three of them. Emilie only wished she could thank Nathalie in person- that woman became one of her closest friends.

That is partially why she wanted to give Nathalie the most special present- new life. A product of a new love. Another reason was to gift a new sense of happiness and pride for both Gabriel and Nathalie, and Adrien’s biggest wish. She watched Nathalie and Adrien, and knew immediately that Nathalie would be a great mom to a child of her own. She knew that Nathalie had wanted at least one child of her own… whether adopted or biological. When Nathalie thought that it may not happen, she accepted that Adrien would be the closest person to her child. While she was okay with this fact, Emilie believed that Nathalie deserved to have a child of her own. 

While about to reveal the results of her test, Emilie had stood beside Nathalie, and rested her hand on the other woman’s shoulder, assuring her it would be okay. From above, she looked on in delight when Nathalie revealed the news to Gabriel. She was so happy to see him smile like that for the first time in a long time. Seeing Adrien’s joy was exciting to her- his smile was everything to her- especially when interacting with his new friends. Perhaps now would be a good time to leave him a small token… just to know she was thinking of him. 

While Adrien was on his phone, he heard a clink on the hardwood floor of his room. He set down his phone on his desk as he looked on the floor to see what he heard. Right by his chair, he spotted a 1 euro cent coin on the ground- heads up. He picked it up and looked at it. That was odd… where did it come from? It was like it came out of nowhere. He checked his pockets again, and they were empty, just as he remembered. He placed the coin into his pocket now, returning to his messages. Emilie watched as she saw the confusion on her son’s face, and chuckled a little. Thankfully, he couldn’t hear her, and so she spoke… 

_ “My dear Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and little baby… I will be here for you, always and forever, whether you know or not.”  _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilie visits the infant she had blessed- only to leave a piece of evidence of her visit behind.

Over the months, Emilie watched Nathalie’s pregnancy progress, and all of its ups and downs. She saw the excitement of all three of them upon learning the baby would be a little girl, and she was excited too. Emilie always believed that Gabriel would be a great father to a little girl, and Adrien would be a wonderful big brother to a little sister. She was quite amused as she watched all the silly little things they bickered about, too- name choices, nursery colors, amongst other minor things. Of course though, the most wonderful moment was watching Gabriel and Nathalie meeting their precious little girl for the very first time. Emilie cried right alongside them as they met her for the very first time. She couldn’t recall a time seeing either of them so happy in her recent memories. There was something that just was so delightful in watching Nathalie taking care of a newborn. In that moment, upon looking at her face for the first time up close, a name was decided for her.

Adeline Aurora Elaine Sancoeur Agreste was the name they settled on, after several arguments and Nathalie talking Gabriel down from the almost-comically long name he had in mind, to two first names and two middle names, and those names fit the tiny baby perfectly. Adrien holding his sister for the first time was the sweetest moment of that day. The first thing he said was how beautiful she was, while continually smiling and fawning over her. Emilie was proud of her son. She wanted to introduce herself to the newborn, but figured that she should wait some time before doing so. So instead she decided to observe, and to let them all settle into their new lives. 

About three months after Adeline came home, Emilie had a feeling in her heart that today would be the right day to meet the baby for herself. As she saw, the infant was napping in her crib, in a white floral printed sleeper. She had a purple butterfly pacifier in her mouth, which she was lightly sucking on as she slept. She looked like absolute angel while asleep, much like Emilie herself, and now, Emilie believed she could get a closer look. Her hand reached forward, and it glowed as it made an exit. She stepped through to the other side, her exit sealing behind her. Her large, white feathery wings spread out as she approached the crib. They casted a shadow over the sleeping baby as she stood beside the crib and got a good look at her. She was just as lovely up close as she was from above. A gentle hand reached forward, fingers gently caressing the her cheek, and then her soft locks of brown hair. 

_ “Why, aren’t you adorable, little Adeline?”  _ Emilie whispered softly to her. Adeline stirred a bit, but not waking up in response. Emilie watched her with a fond smile, and… tears began to come to her eyes. She didn’t understand- why was she sad? There was really no reason for her to feel this way. Perhaps it was the sadness of missing her own baby, and then never getting to meet his babies. Her wings drooped as her tears flowed freely in vain.  _ “Forgive me and my tears, little one… I should not be sad. I should be happy. You’re already wonderful, and a bundle of joy.” _ She rambled through her tears, knowing that the baby girl wouldn’t even remember this conversation, or this visit anyway. Using the sleeve to her robe, she gently wiped her eyes. She leaned down to place a gentle and quick kiss on the sleeping child’s forehead. Adeline began to stir more, her large, blue eyes slowly opening. She looked up at Emilie, sleepy yet wide-eyed. The baby seemed to be in awe of the angelic figure standing before her. Her eyes began to water, before she began to wail- wanting attention, but also because she was slightly scared of the angel. That was Emilie’s cue to leave. She quickly turned away, walking towards the windows. Her hasty retreat caused one of the feathers from her wings to fall, slowly drifting into the crib, beside Adeline’s head. Emilie hastily made an entrance back to the spirit realm and stepped back in. Just in time, too, as the entrance shut when the door began to open. 

As Gabriel entered the pastel lilac colored room, he could have sworn he saw a flash of light from behind the door, but upon entering, everything seemed normal. He walked over to his crying daughter and picked her up. He held her close, and rubbed her back soothingly. “Adeline, it’s okay, Papa’s here…” As he was attempting to soothe her, he noticed something bizarre- a white feather, laying there on the crib mattress. It seemed to even shimmer slightly in the sunlight. He picked it up and looked around- there was nothing feathered in her room, and the windows were closed and locked. Gabriel was very confused, but perhaps Nathalie may have an answer. He exited the nursery with baby and mysterious feather in tow, quietly closing the door behind him. For the most part, Adeline had settled down, but he was sure she would be content after being fed. 

He reentered his office, where Nathalie already had a bottle ready to feed her. Gabriel handed over the baby to Nathalie, who picked up the bottle, and made sure that her daughter was drinking it. She looked up, and caught a glimpse of the feather that Gabriel held in his hand. “Where did you find that?” Nathalie asked, as she noticed how shimmery the white feather was. She was trying to determine if there was any kind of animal that would have a feather like that. 

“It was in Adeline’s crib. It was right next to her. I didn’t even notice it until I picked her up.” He answered, as he angled it around in the light. No doubt that it captured his attention- he can’t recall seeing a feather so lovely in his life. 

Nathalie was bewildered. How could that be? There was no way any feathered animal could have gotten in. Adrien wouldn’t have anything to do with this, and nothing in Adeline’s room had feathers. “Are you sure? You didn’t leave any windows open, right?” 

“I’m sure, and no, I didn’t.” 

“Perhaps we should check the baby monitor… I believe we can just rewind the footage on any smart device and play it back.” She said. Adeline had finished her bottle now, and Nathalie placed the empty bottle down on her desk for now. She fetched her tablet, as she handed it over to Gabriel. He took it, and opened up the application connected to the monitor cameras in the nursery. He carefully began to rewind through the footage from the past few hours or so, to see if he noticed anything off. As he did his, Nathalie peered over and watched with him. Neither of them could see anything that would be suspicious, aside from a small flash of light a few minutes before she had woken up. Neither of them believed in the supernatural, so they immediately ruled that out. There had to be some explanation… right? 

They looked around the room at several angles, and still nothing. No animals, no nothing. The mysterious feather certainly wasn’t a figment of the imagination either- its permanence was tested, and it was still tangible after all this time, to both of them. Gabriel’s attention was on high alert when the footage reached the point of just when he was about to enter the nursery. The feather seemingly materialized from nothing above the crib. He paused the footage. 

“You saw that, right? That feather seemingly materialized from thin air.” He pointed out to her, as he pointed to it on the still frame he stopped at. 

“I do see it, and… that is quite something. Though, I doubt it’s anything of concern. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He concurred silently, and then resumed playback of the camera footage. What they would see next would shock them. Just as the door to the nursery began to open, the camera was overwhelmed with a bright, white light. He paused the video once again. 

“There, that. What is that?” He asked Nathalie, pointing to the screen once again. Even she couldn’t seem to explain it. 

“I… don’t know. Try switching cameras.” She suggested. He did just that, and from another angle, he saw the same flash… but it seemed as if there was a halo around the source of the light. He couldn’t make out any specific features or shapes, though. He squinted and tried to see if he could explain it or make sense, but he just couldn’t. He may not have had an explanation, but she sure did. 

“The sunlight must have caused that glare.” Nathalie stated matter-of-factly. What other explanation was there? It made sense, but also, not entirely. “But, that doesn’t explain the feather. What could have caused that?” 

“Well, I don’t believe the sunlight is our explanation… perhaps it’s a new scientific phenomenon. We should show such remarkable footage.”

“Gabriel, are you alright? Have you been sleeping well?” Nathalie asked. A response like that was unlike Gabriel. She was a bit concerned, especially because when the baby would wake up in the middle of the night, which was often more than once a night, he would usually take care of her so that she could sleep. 

“Of course I have, my love…” He said, while half-lying to her. He didn’t sleep too much last night, but he didn't want to worry her, so he chose not to say anything. “But, I suppose that is a little far-fetched… Perhaps it was a ghost, or something along those lines.” 

Nathalie laughed a little. He must not have slept too well last night- now he was onto ghosts? Poor guy must be delirious. She stood on her toes slightly as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Come on Gabriel, you know there’s no such thing as ghosts… maybe I should take over nighttime duty tonight. You must be exhausted.” 

While he appreciated the sentiment, and definitely agreed with her that ghosts are not real… the footage they just captured… the bright flash of light he saw in person. “Only if you insist. Though, I suppose we should return to work, now… We can worry about this later tonight.” He said. Nathalie nodded as she returned to her desk, and placed baby Adeline in the portable crib that was next to her desk. After placing the feather in the wall safe, for safe keeping, Gabriel did the same as her. But, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he saw, and what he collected. Maybe the supernatural was no joke. He was keeping his eyes and mind open to it now, because something told him that this wouldn’t be the last of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unexplainable phenomenon occurs again- but this time, in front of more than just one person.

Over the next three months, Gabriel was on the look out for anything else… and nothing notable happened, so eventually he relented, at Nathalie’s suggestion. The feather and flash of light must have just been a one time freak occurrence and nothing more, so it slowly retreated back into his memory. This morning, he and the rest of the family had important matters to attend to. Today was Adeline’s baptism. He and Nathalie argued back and forth about it a few times- he wanted it, but she didn’t really see the point. It’s not like they ever went to church regularly anyway, so she figured it didn’t make a difference- apparently it did to him. Gabriel was weirdly touchy about the subject, and insisted that they do it. She never bothered to pry into why- she assumed that he used religion as a way to make him feel less guilty about being Hawkmoth and his plans. Instead of prying or arguing further, she agreed, and so they arranged to have her baptized at Notre Dame, for today’s date. Gabriel would be on the look out for any funny business that may occur, like that one fateful day a few months ago. The thought of this was already stressing him more than he anticipated. 

Gabriel was the first one to wake up today. His eyes were greeted with the morning sun beaming through the blinds. He rubbed his eyes as she sat up in bed. He located his glasses and put them on his face. He looked to see Nathalie to his left, still sleeping peacefully. He gets up, and goes to comb his hair and brush his teeth. He returned from the master bathroom, and stood beside Nathalie, and tried to rouse her gently. “Nathalie, time to get up.” He said softly. She grumbled, before turning away from him. 

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up.” She huffed, as she sat up, and rubbed her eyes. He was kind enough to hand her glasses to her. She stands up and stretches. “Why are we up so early?”

Gabriel folded his arms behind his back. looking rather unamused. “You didn’t forget what today is, do you?” 

“No, I didn’t… but it’s 7:30 am.” She yawned, as she glanced at her phone display. 

“Correct. We will need to be at Notre Dame at 10. We will need lots of time for all of us to get ready and out the door. Believe me..”

While she didn’t quite believe that, she went along with it, “Right…” 

“I suppose we should wake Adeline first. At least she’ll be happy to see us. Adrien will just fight us, as per usual…” He said, as he opened the master bedroom door. She simply nodded, and they proceeded to Adeline’s room, and Nathalie entered first, and then Gabriel. He turned on the light in the room. 

“Good morning, mon ange…” Nathalie said, as she leans over the edge of the crib. Adeline looked up at her mom, blinking her eyes and stretching her arms up over her head. 

Gabriel stood by Nathalie’s side now, leaning over the edge of the crib. “Today is your big day, Princess...” 

Nathalie picked the infant up, and held her close. Adeline laid her head on her mom’s shoulder, still a bit sleepy. Nathalie smiled and rubbed her back. “How about we go wake up your brother then, huh?”

Adeline replied with some tired babbling, causing Gabriel and Nathalie to smile a little. “I’m assuming that’s a yes, then…” He says, as he stood straight now. The three of them exited the nursery, and proceeded down the hall to Adrien’s room. Gabriel slowly opened the door, and looked in- as suspected, Adrien was fast asleep still. Gabriel approached his son’s bedside and looked down at him. “Adrien, get up now, please.” He said. 

Adrien groaned as he grabbed for the second pillow and put it over his head. “Come on Dad, just five more minutes…” He said, voiced muffled. 

“No, I said now. Today is a very special day for your sister. Now get up.” Gabriel said, already becoming visibly irritated. Nathalie was standing by the side of Adrien’s bed now. Adeline began squirming, wanting to be on Adrien’s bed with him. Nathalie placed her down next to Adrien, causing him to remove the pillow from over his head to look at the baby. The infant crawled on top of him and proceeded to lay down on top of him. Adrien chuckles a little, and places a hand on top of her back. 

“Guess I can’t get up now. She’s got me trapped!” He teased, as he slowly sat up in bed, still holding her, now with both arms. Nathalie laughed a little, but Gabriel seemed to already be high strung, and not laughing. 

“I expect you to be ready by 9:15, Adrien. Showered, dressed nicely, and have eaten a good breakfast.” Gabriel said, as he exited the room. Nathalie and Adrien watched, as he handed Adeline back to Nathalie. 

“What’s his problem?” Adrien asks, as he gets out of bed, to head towards his bathroom. 

Nathalie sighed. “I don’t know for sure, but I think he’s just worried something will go wrong today, is all. It’s nothing you did… Just listen to whatever he wants you to do, okay?”

Adrien just nodded silently, as he headed into his bathroom. Nathalie left with Adeline, to begin getting both of them ready. By 9:15, all four of them were fed, well dressed, and ready to go, and so off they went. Gabriel’s mood had seemingly improved slightly by this point, so Adrien had hopes that he could go the rest of the day without stepping on his toes. He was also excited, as he was allowed to invite one person to the service- and he chose Marinette, since she’s never witnessed a baptism before, let alone been to church. Plus, her parents were providing lunch, and cake. He was also allowed to invite two more friends to the reception afterwards, and so he invited Nino and Alya- they were essentially a package deal at this point. This would be the first time that they all would be meeting his baby sister in person, and he was so excited! He constantly shows his friends pictures and talks about her, and now they get to meet her in person. 

They made it to Notre Dame, and just in time, and Adrien looked at his phone to see what time it was- 9:45 am. He stepped out of the car, and waited for his father and Nathalie to get Adeline out of her carseat. Marinette was already there, waiting for them. Adrien spotted her, and noticed she was wearing her maid dress- without the apron, and even wore her hair down for today. His heart skipped a beat upon seeing how beautiful she was. Marinette spotted them, and waited for them as she waved to Adrien from a distance. She seemed to be holding something under her arm. Once everyone was out of the limo, and it departed for now, the family headed towards the entrance of Notre Dame, where they stopped to greet their special guest. 

“Marinette!” Adrien greeted her excitedly, pulling her into a hug. She hugged him back, and then as they broke apart, he held her hands. “You look really pretty dressed like this.” 

She blushed and giggled a little. “Thank you Adrien, you look very nice too. And thank you for the invite.” She turned to Nathalie and Gabriel, “Thank you for letting me come as well, Mister Agreste and Miss…” 

“Miss Nathalie is fine.” Nathalie said with a small smile, and Marinette smiled back. 

“And Miss Nathalie. And you too, Adeline.” Marinette beamed, looking at the baby, who looked back at her. “Oh, and… I made her a gift. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to, but I did it anyway.” Marinette awkwardly presented a rather thick present to the family. Adrien smiled to her, as Gabriel opened it. It was a baby blanket- made with lavender flora printed fabric on one side, and a white minky fabric on the other side. 

“Miss Marinette, this is lovely. Thank you.” Gabriel said with a smile, as he gives it to Adeline, to gauge her reaction. She loved it- the soft minky fabric went over very well with the infant. “And it seems like she likes it as well. Though, we should be headed inside.” He said, as he looks at his daughter. He and Nathalie walked ahead of Marinette and Adrien. Adrien leaned into Marinette as they were walking. 

“Thank you so much. Father expects both of us to be on our best behavior, and I know that he really likes you. If I start to fall asleep, please make sure I don’t. He’ll be angry at me.” He whispered.

Marinette nodded, as they took a seat in the front row, next to the adults. “Got it.” 

And within a few minutes, the service began. It also didn’t take Adrien too long to begin to nod off, to which he received Marinette’s elbow into his ribcage. He winced, but he sat right up and certainly not falling asleep anymore. The service proceeded as normal, until it was time for the baptismal proceedings. Adrien was beginning to nod off again, and as Gabriel and Nathalie stood before the congregation, Gabriel took notice that his son was dozing off, yet again, and scowled slightly at him and Marinette. Marinette delivered another elbow to Adrien’s ribs. This time, Adrien remembered that he was instructed to film the actual ceremony. He pulled out his phone camera, and began to film. As he began to film, a wave of light emanated from one of the stained glass windows, as if the sunlight perfectly struck it. 

As the priest poured the water over Adeline’s head, the baby’s gaze suddenly went wide as she stared up and out towards the congregation. Nathalie noticed this as she was holding her baby, and immediately became concerned. Suddenly, she felt something- she felt some sort of presence. Gabriel felt it too, and knew that something was going on. While they couldn’t see anything, Adeline did… Emilie came before her again. She smiled to the baby donning a little white dress, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She said nothing this time, as she believed her actions spoke louder than words… and like that, she was gone. 

Emilie was back to the spirit realm, with a small flash of light, much like a spotlight. She left behind another white and shimmery feather. It slowly drifted down to the ground, everyone’s eyes watching it as it landed at Nathalie’s feet. As it landed, Adrien cut the video. He and Marinette, as well as the rest of the audience were stunned. As the priest told Gabriel and Nathalie that they may be seated, Gabriel quickly picked up the feather and made his way back to his seat. While Adeline’s gaze was no longer frozen, she was beginning to fuss and clung tightly to Nathalie. It was almost like she saw something unpleasant. He reached into his suit pocked and retrieved her pacifier, and placed it into her mouth. 

The service continued on, as if nothing abnormal just happened. Adrien leaned into Marinette and whispered softly, “Hey, you saw that, right?” 

“Yeah, I did… why?” Marinette leaned toward him. 

“No reason, Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.” 

“I think everyone here saw that…” 

“I know. And tomorrow… we’re going to investigate.” 

“What are we looking for?” 

“I’m not sure… but I bet you, me, Alya and Nino will get to the bottom of this mystery. I’m sure of that.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien leads an investigation.

The following afternoon, Adrien had rounded up Marinette, Nino and Alya. While he briefly alluded to the fact that today would bring something important, he never bothered to fully explain. After all, the four of them were too busy enjoying food, cake and Alya and Nino were wrapped up in meeting baby Adeline. The four of them were standing outside of the school, waiting for their ride to the Agreste mansion. Nino looks at Adrien. “Your old man  _ does _ know we’re coming over, right?” 

“Yeah, I told him that you guys were coming over for a study session. He’s fine with it, as long as we don’t make too much noise and we get our work done.” Adrien said, air quotes around the “study session” portion of his sentence. 

“What, is someone going to come in and check to see if we’re working?” Alya joked. 

Adrien looked away awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, yeah… Nathalie or my bodyguard are going to make sure that we’re actually working. Not often, though. They’re still not over that party that I had while they were in Japan...” 

Marinette, Alya and Nino stared at Adrien. They couldn’t believe that as almost adults, they were being monitored. But, they just had to accept it at this point- they have to follow the rules that Adrien’s father had set, no matter how insane. Besides, they all were on their best behavior yesterday so today couldn’t be much harder. The limo pulled up, and Adrien gestured for them to follow. He opened the door for them, and they all piled in. They all waved to the Gorilla, before Adrien leaned in closer to all of them, voice dropping to a whisper. “Okay, so, we’re having an investigation. Weird stuff’s been happening.” 

“What kind of weird stuff? Strange behavior? Strange, unexplainable events?” Alya replied in a hushed tone, laced with curiosity and excitement glimmering in her eyes.

“Yeah, that. There were all sorts of strange things happening in Notre Dame yesterday. There was a feather, and it came out of nowhere. I didn’t start sneezing immediately when being near it, so it couldn’t have been a bird feather…” 

“You sure you didn’t hit your head too hard during gym class today, dude?” Nino asked quietly, with concern in his voice. 

“I’m positive. My father picked up the feather before he sat down again. I got the whole thing on video. I’ll show you when we get back.” Adrien said, and Marinette nodded, backing him up. 

The limo pulled up to the front of the Agreste mansion, and the four teenagers exited. Upon entering, they noticed that the foyer was empty. Adrien blinked as Nino shut the door behind them. 

“Father? Nathalie? I’m home...” Adrien called out. Almost immediately, the atelier’s door opened, and Gabriel stepped out of the room. 

“Good afternoon Adrien, Marinette, Alya and Nino.” He replied back, as he looked at them all. Marinette, Alya and Nino greeted him in return. 

“We’re here to work on our project, remember?” 

“Yes, of course I remember. I expect all of you to be working, and I will be sending someone to check to make sure. Understood?” 

“Don’t worry, Father, We’re going to work right away. Right, guys?” Adrien asked his friends, and they nodded. He leads them up to his room, and watching them enter, Gabriel retreats back into the atelier. Adrien went to close the door, as they began to take off their school bags and drop them to the floor. He pulled out his cellphone and had the video all ready to show them. They all sat on his couch and huddled around. Adrien began to play back the video. All of them watched closely, but Alya in particular was very observant. She saw how awestruck and slightly terrified Adeline looked in the video. She reached over to pause it. 

“Pause. Guys, look at Adeline’s face.” Alya noted, as she points to the baby. “She’s definitely looking at something. She must see something that we can’t.” 

“Yeah, but  _ what _ is she looking at?” Nino then asks. 

“Maybe once we see the rest of the video… we can mess around with it on Adrien’s computer and see if we can pick up anything on the video or through the sound…” Marinette suggested. 

“Good idea, Marinette. But let’s watch the rest.” Alya said, as she tapped the play button to resume playback. They continued to watch, and once they got to the portion where the feather slowly and gracefully fell to the floor, Alya and Nino were very surprised. The video ended. 

“Whoa, that was probably the weirdest thing I’ve seen in my entire life. Your old man looks a little spooked.” Nino said as he looked to Adrien. 

“Yeah, it was pretty weird, even in person. I don’t think it was just him that was spooked… I think pretty much everyone there was. Even I was.” Adrien said as he looked over to his computer. 

“Let’s go analyze our evidence. This case is super interesting.” Alya said, as she stood up, and headed over to Adrien’s computer. The other three followed. Adrien sat down in the chair, with Marinette to his left, Alya to his right, and Nino behind him. Reaching for the micro USB cable, Adrien plugged one end into his computer, and the other into his phone. After opening a video editing software on his computer, he accessed the video file from his phone, and dropped onto the editing timeline. “So, who wants to take a shot at evidence hunting?” 

“I’d be happy to.” Alya volunteered herself, as she and Adrien switched places. She focused intensely, but paid particular attention to when Adeline was just about to have the water poured over her head. After messing around with the contrast and brightness settings on the clip for a few minutes, and even inverting the video colors, they all noticed something- there was a faintly visible shape, making its way right towards the baby, and her eyes locked on it the entire time. Alya squinted to see if she could clearly make out what she saw. She put the video up in full screen. “You guys see this, right?” 

“Yeah, but, what is that? That shape looks oddly human-like.” Marinette pointed out. 

Adrien looked closer. “ Hold on. Are those… wings? Now that I think of it… I thought an out of place shadow out of the corner of my eye yesterday.” 

“Yeah, looks like… That’s weird as hell.” Nino said, as he pointed towards the figure, “It looks like it’s wearing a dress, or a long robe.” 

“You don’t think... that it’s an actual angel, right?” Alya propositioned. 

“I don’t know. Aren’t angels, you know, not real? Aren’t those just fictional figures?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien looked at Marinette and smiled, “No one really knows for sure. Sometimes, my mom would tell me when something good happens for no reason, or you can’t explain something… it’s an angel looking over you, and sending a sign.” Alya and Nino nodded. 

“Ah, okay. Hey Nino, why don’t you try messing around with the audio? Maybe you can hear something out of the ordinary.” Marinette suggested, looking to Nino. 

“Good idea. Alright, let’s see what we got…” Nino said as he stretched his fingers. He and Alya swapped places, so now he was sitting in the chair. He began to mess around with the audio tracks. They were all listening to hear for anything that would be considered unusual. Marinette perked up a little after Nino calibrated some sort of setting. 

“I think I heard something,” Marinette whispered, “play that again. It sounds like rustling fabric.” 

Nino nodded, as he replayed the specified segment- he could faintly make out the same noise. “Yeah, now that you say it, I can kind of hear it too…” 

“I can’t hear it.” Adrien said, leaning even closer to the speaker. 

“I can’t either. Nino, try and isolate the background noise. That way, we can amplify the noise to hear it better.” Alya suggested as she got down on one knee, giving Nino directions on what to click on the software. 

“You’re in charge, babe.” Nino said, as he let Alya guide him. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by the door opening. Nathalie entered the room, holding Adeline in one arm and her tablet in another. She saw the four teenagers huddled around Adrien’s computer, and they all turned to stare at her. 

Adrien smiled, as he approached her. “Hi Nathalie. We’re working, I promise.” 

Nathalie peered around Adrien to see what they were really doing- and she could see that it appears they were researching something about Ancient Japan and its culture. She turned her attention back to Adrien. “I see… I hope your project turns out well, then. I know you must be very busy, but can you watch your sister for me?” 

Adrien reached for Adeline, who was passed off happily to him. “Sure, I don’t mind one bit. What’s going on?” 

“Last minute meeting with the wedding planner. Only time we could do it to arrange cake tastings and other details.” She explained, looking down at her tablet and sighing. The other three teenagers perked up at the mere mention of the word “wedding”. 

“Oh, well it’s not a problem, Nathalie. We can handle it and our project.” Adrien said, smiling a bit as Adeline was pulling at his shirt collar and giggling. 

“Alright, we’ll try and make it as brief as possible. No promises though.” Nathalie said, waving to them before exiting. Adrien walked back to his friends, who were all smiling a little. 

“Wedding, huh? Who’s getting married?” Alya asks, with a grin on her face. 

Adrien seemed a little confused. “Did I not tell you guys? My dad and Nathalie are getting married. In six months, or so.” His friends seemed so excited, all of them grinning excitedly at the news. 

“That’s so awesome! But I thought they were already married.” Marinette giggled. Nino and Alya seemed to echo the same sentiment. Adrien laughed as he hugged his little sister gently. 

“Yeah, you would think that. They were going to get married sooner, but then Adeline happened… You know, I don’t think I ever recall my father being happy with my mom like he is with Nathalie… So I’m really happy for them.” Adrien explained, as Adeline turned to look at Adrien’s computer monitors. She was entertained by the bright, pretty colors, or perhaps what was on them... 

“Well, if they need a DJ…. I’m here for it.” Nino said, with a laugh. Adrien, Alya and Marinette laughed too. 

“Don’t worry, I’m making sure all of you are invited.” Adrien said, but not before he was cut off by Adeline trying to escape his hold. She couldn’t help it- she saw a familiar face on Adrien’s computer display. It looked just like the pretty lady who visits her, so of course she was curious. Adrien passed off Adeline to Marinette with a smile. Marinette was holding her now as she looked to see what had captured the baby’s attention. 

“What do you see, Addy?” Marinette asked her, cooing softly, as she stepped closer to the desk. Adeline reached out to the monitor, with a picture of Emilie and Adrien displayed on it. The baby began to smile and babble happy nonsense. While Adrien, Marinette and Nino smiled at her cuteness, Alya’s brain began to put the puzzle pieces together. The baby seemed awfully excited to see a picture of someone whom she’d never get to meet, let alone probably never know much about. The mysterious figure they can see on the video, with the wings. That had to be Adrien’s mother, visiting the family. That could be the only explanation. 

“That figure in the video… That’s Adrien’s mother.” Alya came to the conclusion. She received some pretty dumbfounded looks. 

“I doubt that… I think she’s just excited to see my picture on my computer. Plus, she probably just likes the pretty colors.” Adrien said, watching how happy she is just by looking at the picture, extending a tiny hand towards Emilie.

“Adrien, may I borrow your phone for a sec? I want to test something.” Alya asked, reaching for the phone resting on the desk and plugged into the computer. 

Though confused, Adrien nodded. Alya reached for the phone, and slid her finger upward to unlock the device. She opened up his photos and began to scroll through his camera roll. While she may have just found someone who was a bigger fan of Ladybug than she was, she found what she was really looking for. Another picture of Adrien’s mother. Since it was another picture of her and Adrien, she decided to enlarge the picture enough to make sure that Adrien’s face was no longer visible. She then presented the picture of the late Emilie Agreste to the baby. 

“Adeline… look here, I have something for you…” Alya said softly, tapping the baby to get her attention. Adeline turned her head quickly, and Alya presented her with Adrien’s phone by holding it in front of her. Adeline grabbed the phone and began to giggle even more, smiling wide too as she saw who was on it. Adrien, Nino and Marinette began to suspect that Alya may be onto something now, especially given the baby’s reaction to seeing a picture of Emilie on her own. Alya seemed to have a small, confident smirk on her lips. 

“Do you guys believe me, even a little bit now?” She then asks. 

Adrien nodded, though a bit doubtful that Adeline really knew. She was just a baby after all. Nino and Marinette also nodded, their own doubts still in mind. 

“Well, I suppose anything could be possible now. Now that we seemingly have concluded the investigation… maybe we should actually do our homework now.” Marinette suggested to them. They all seemed to agree. 

“Good idea. Plus, it’ll be easier to watch Adeline now. We can just let her watch videos and she’ll be an angel for us.” Adrien said, unplugging his phone from his computer. They abandoned his desk area and retrieved their school bags. The group opted to sit on the floor, as they’d have room to spread out their papers and help each other. As they were getting situated, Adrien sat his baby sister between him and Marinette, and pulled up a compilation of nursery rhymes. Hopefully they wouldn’t mind the childish music too much. It was keeping her out of their hair for now, at least.

As they started their work, Adrien’s mind seemed to be elsewhere- could Adeline really be seeing his mother? He hoped, but also doubted it. She was too young to understand anything about her, and most likely would never get information on her. Though, maybe she did… After all, Marinette just said it- anything is possible. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding happens. Chaos ensues.

Today was the day, after months and months of tedious, stressful planning, Nathalie was about to marry the love of her life. Though they were set to marry a year and a half ago, of course, life and a baby got in the way of that. Instead, they decided to push the wedding back, just enough so that Adeline could participate. Now 12 months and 13 days old, Adeline could walk pretty well on her own, and even say a few words. She was going to make the most adorable flower girl, well, in Nathalie’s eyes, anyway. They had opted to host their wedding at Jardin des Papillons, in Parc Florale de Paris, and they had opted for purples and blues, and Gabriel designed all the attire for the wedding party, with Nathalie’s approval, of course. The hardest part, aside from designing something to satisfy the extremely high standards that Audrey Bourgeois had set for her outfit, was designing a wedding dress for Nathalie. She had given him a list of what she wanted, and he believed that he delivered. He knew it was quite the lovely garment, he couldn’t wait to see her wear it, and soon, he would. 

The ceremony commenced. Since Nathalie’s mother had long been deceased, Gabriel walked out to take his stance by the officiant, and soon, Adrien took a stance beside his father, smiling. 

Adrien whispered softly, “Are you nervous, father?” 

“Of course not…” Gabriel lied, already wiping his palms on his suit jacket. He thanked all the gods that he chose black for the suits, with purple satin ties and violets for boutonnieres, as no one could see that he was sweating already from nerves. 

Adrien put a hand on his father’s shoulder and patted it lightly. “Father, you don’t have to be nervous. You’ll do great.” 

Gabriel smiled to his son, and watched as his other two groomsmen, Jagged Stone, and then Audrey, proceeded down the aisle. Jagged, thankfully, was fine with wearing Gabriel’s original design, his hair dye even matching the tie color perfectly, because he knew Audrey would not settle for that. She wanted something different than just a suit, so he designed a perfect outfit for her- a jumpsuit. He was surprised she loved what he came up with on the first shot. It was designed to look somewhat like a normal suit, including faux buttons to mimic a button-up shirt and a purple silk belt. The main talking point of the outfit was the white cape that was attached to her shoulders, and flowed nicely behind her as she walked. In lieu of a boutonniere, she wore a single violet flower and a sprig of baby’s breath pinned in her hair.

Next came the bridesmaids- Caline Bustier and Sabine Cheng, followed by maid of honor, Penny Rolling, all donning a floor length, violet dress, cut differently for each woman- strapless for Penny, off the shoulder for Sabine, and one shouldered for Caline. The skirts of the dresses were made of violet tulle, while the top halves were made of color-matching satin. Each woman wore a flower crown, made of blue and red roses, violets, and a few sprigs of baby’s breath. Next, a shy little Adeline stood at the end of the aisle, taking tiny, tentative steps down the aisle. She wore a dress, the same color as the other bridesmaids, though with a much fuller tulle skirt that didn’t reach the floor. Her flower crown was slightly askew on her head as she kept walking, holding a small bouquet of flowers in her right hand. She was even wearing a new accessory- a gold chain bracelet, with a gold plate with her first name engraved on it. Adeline sees Adrien at the end of the aisle, standing beside her daddy, and immediately begins to run. “Adri!” She called for him in her tiny little voice, which got the guests to fawn over her for a moment. Adrien met her at the altar, happily picking her up and holding her. Out of a hidden pocket, he pulled out a pacifier and gave it to her, so that she would remain quiet and content during the ceremony. It was now time for Nathalie to join everyone. 

Nathalie stood at the end of the aisle, and she felt all eyes on her. All the attention made her uneasy, but she was the bride- she expected no less. She held onto the Gorilla’s arm, looking to him once before they proceeded to walk down the aisle. Gabriel felt overwhelmed with the site of his bride-to-be, tears already coming to his eyes as he watched her. Adrien offered him a handkerchief, which he accepted. She looked absolutely stunning in her dress- white satin, sleeveless, and ankle length, but with faux sleeves with cuffs and collar made of tulle, which had a subtle floral pattern hidden in it. The same tulle was used to make the train of her dress, which looked more like a long cape. It started from her shoulders, but trailed behind her as she walked. Her hair was pulled into its usual bun, however, she had opted to not wear her glasses today. On her head, she wore a flower crown, similar to her bridesmaids and flowergirl, though with a few white butterflies made of silk sprinkled in. Covering her face was her veil, which was short in comparison to the rest of her dress. As she reached the end of the aisle, Gorilla had let her go so she could join Gabriel at the altar. She handed her bouquet of flowers to Penny. Nathalie turned and stood before him, and she took his hands. She looked up at him, and noticed he was already crying. 

“Gabriel, please… you’re going to make me cry…” Nathalie whispered softly, trying her best not to get all choked up as she squeezed his hands. He stopped to wipe his eyes with the handkerchief provided to him. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t help myself… you’re just so beautiful.” He whispered, as he pulled her closer. She began to cry too, as he lifted the veil and folded it back, so he can better look at her face. 

The officiant began, “Welcome everyone, to the wedding of Gabriel Maxim Honoré Agreste and Nathalie Irène Lisette Sancoeur. A day where you vow yourselves to each other for the rest of your days, in the name of God. Let’s start with you, Mister Agreste.” 

Gabriel nodded, as he pulled out a piece of paper from his suit pocket and unfolded it. “I, Gabriel Maxim Honoré Agreste, take you, Nathalie Irène Lisette Sancoeur to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. You’re truly an amazing and special woman, and I’ve known that since the moment we met. Despite all the stupid things I’ve done over the years, you’ve never once abandoned me. You were the only one I had at my lowest point in life, and you lifted me from that. I’m only sorry I didn’t recognize how incredible you are sooner. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.” He was crying again- and so was she. So were quite a few guests, groomsmen and bridesmaids.

“And now for you, Nathalie.” The officiant said. Nathalie had kept her paper tucked in her bouquet of flowers, which Penny was holding. 

She unfolded it and through her tears, she began to read. “I, Nathalie Irène Lisette Sancoeur, take you, Gabriel Maxim Honoré Agreste to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Gabriel, you’ve always been one of my best friends. I knew you were extra special, though, when you saw me at what was possibly my worst moment. You let me ugly-cry into your arms when I learned that my parents had died in that car accident, despite only knowing you for a month. You were there at the funeral too, and again, let me ugly cry into your arms, in the pouring rain. You made sure I was okay after that, and when I needed help, you helped me immensely. I love your dedication to your family, and to your friends. I just love everything about you, and with that… I will love and honor you with all the days of my life.” She had wiped her eyes with the handkerchief Gabriel had kindly passed to her. Thank god she opted for waterproof mascara… She knew she’d be an emotional mess, but not this early. 

“And now, it’s time to-” 

“Wait,” Nathalie said, as she pulled out another piece of paper from her bouquet. Everyone seemed to be a bit confused. This was certainly not part of the original plan. She opened up the second piece of paper, and composed herself. “I’m not done yet. If I may… Adrien, can you please come here for a moment?” 

Adrien stepped forward, standing next to his father. Nathalie released Gabriel’s hands temporarily, and grabbed Adrien’s. She pulled herself together, and cleared her throat. 

“I, Nathalie Irène Lisette Sancoeur, promise to commit myself to Adrien Athanase Maxim Agreste, and help guide him through life. I know that I am no replacement to your mother, but please, just know that I am always here for you. When I first met you as a small child, I knew you were a special boy. Adrien, you’re one of the most kind, loving and talented kids I’ve ever met. You’re growing up to a well adjusted, smart, and wonderful young man. I know I’m not very good at saying this to you, but I love you, Adrien. You were always like a son to me, and I will always treat you like my child, even when you’re well into adulthood. I also promise to love and support your father as long as we shall live.” Nathalie looked up to Adrien, who was moved by her words. He wasn’t the only one- there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Adrien gave her a tight hug with his free arm, as his other arm was still holding his younger sister. 

“Adrien, would you like to say something?” The officiant asked, while wiping his eyes as well. 

Adrien nodded, using the sleeve of his jacket to stop his tears. “Nathalie… I promise to be the best stepson to you, and the best brother to Adeline. I’ve always seen you as my second mom, ever since I can remember. You made me laugh, played games with me, and made sure I was responsible. You would always help me with my homework and lessons when I asked, and came with me to all my activities. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. You were always a part of the family to me, and I’m so happy for you and my father.” Adrien said as he got choked up. He had noticed that all the guests were in tears by this point. Audrey was a wreck, and Adrien handed her a spare handkerchief as he returned to his spot. Adeline noticed her brother was crying, and hugged him, laying her head on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck to try and cheer him up. 

After composing himself, the officiant declared, “And now, it’s time for the ring exchange… rings, please.” Penny placed a simple gold wedding band in the palm of Nathalie’s hand. Adrien handed Gabriel a smaller sized, but matching gold band. The officiant looked to Nathalie. “Nathalie, please place the ring on Gabriel’s finger.” 

Nathalie took Gabriel’s left hand, and slowly slid the ring onto his finger. “This ring is a token of my love. I offer you all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will be.”

“Gabriel, please place the ring onto Nathalie’s finger.” The officiant said. 

Gabriel picked up Nathalie’s left hand, and slowly slid the band onto her finger. He recited, “This ring is a token of my love. I offer you all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will be.”

“And, with that, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” 

Gabriel swiftly grabbed Nathalie, and pulled her in for a kiss, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close to him. The guests applauded as the newly wedded couple’s kiss ended, and they looked out into the crowd. Nathalie held his hand, giving it a small squeeze. The music started again, and down the aisle they went, being met with lots of smiles. Next, Adrien and Adeline, and Penny. Adrien offered Penny his free arm, which she took, as they followed behind. Adeline was waving to the guests. Sabine and Jagged were next, as Jagged so kindly lent an arm to Sabine as they went. Audrey and Caline were last, walking arm and arm as well. The rest of the guests then also began to file out, to head to the reception at Le Grand Paris. The wedding party stayed behind to take some photos. Adeline began to squirm. 

“Down!” Adeline protested, pacifier still in mouth, as she looked down. “Pweese?” 

Adrien chuckled a little as he set her down. “Only because you asked so nicely.” He was trying his best to keep his eyes on her, but got lost in the conversation. Adeline looked around. Her little mind was blown at the beauty of the butterfly garden. So many beautiful trees and colorful flowers, but as she looked by some particularly pretty flowers and saw some butterflies, she saw the familiar figure of a woman in white, sitting amongst a patch of pink and red begonias. She toddled on over while no one was looking, and sat herself beside the woman and looked to her. 

“Lady!” Adeline said as she removed her pacifier and held it in her tiny hand. Emilie smiled down at the small girl and put her hand on her head. 

“Hello Adeline, you must be quite happy today. Are you happy?” Emilie asked the small child. 

“Yes!” Adeline beamed, smiling wide for her.

Emilie replied, “Me too. Your father looks so happy, and I am glad your mother makes him that way. I could not make him feel that way. It’s hard to make someone smile and be happy when you aren’t happy yourself, just know that.” She explained to the small child, knowing full well that she wouldn’t understand what she meant quite yet. Adeline tried to hug Emilie, though when her tiny arms tried to wrap around her, she couldn’t. Instead, she just tipped forward, landing into the flowerbed she was sitting in. She blinked in confusion, looking up to her. 

“I’m sorry, Adeline. You cannot hug me, for I am not sentient. I am just a spirit.” Emilie frowned. As much as she’d be happy to hug the small child, she couldn’t. She froze as she heard footsteps. Adeline turned her head to see who it was. It was two people- Jagged and Penny. 

“We found her!” Penny called back, as Jagged carefully walked forward to pick up Adeline- her dress now lightly coated in soil. Penny began to try and brush it away. “It seems like she was just busy playing in the flowers…” Once sufficiently dirt-free, the three of them began to walk  away. Adeline was reaching back towards Emilie. 

“Bye bye, Adeline… see you again soon.” Emilie called to her as the distance between them became further apart. 

“Bye bye!” Adeline replied, even waving. Penny looked over her shoulder to see who she was talking to- and much to her surprise, there was no one there. No one amongst the flowers, and not another person who had walked by. 

“Who was she talking to?” Jagged asked, as he turned to look to see what was going on. 

“I’m not sure…” Penny replied with a shrug. The three of them joined up with the others. The wedding photos were able to start. There were plenty of group shots, family shots, bridal party and groom party shorts to be taken. After the photography session, everyone was starving, and ready to party. Once everyone was at Le Grand Paris, the party truly started. Nino was the DJ, as recommended by Adrien. A good decision, because Nino was a fantastic DJ, even to the ever picky Gabriel Agreste. Generally, everyone was having a good time. Lots of drinks were consumed, laughs were shared and good memories were made. Before the first dance was about to occur, Adrien found himself watching his sister again. He didn’t mind, because he loved watching her and was generally well behaved. He, Marinette, Chloé and Sabrina were all talking and generally having a good time. Adrien was pleased to see Chloé and Marinette getting along well, finally. He knew Chloé could be nice to everyone, just like he knew her- and she finally did.

Currently, the four of them were discussing just how poorly the toasts went- Adrien forgot an entire section of the speech, and a very drunk Audrey tripped in the middle of his speech and began to run the show. Thankfully, everyone took the mishap in stride, even Chloé, who was typically embarrassed by her mother’s drunken antics. After a while of talking with them, it dawned on Adrien that Adeline had been awfully silent. He went to go check on her, and he turned his head and saw that she was gone. She must have slipped his hand from his as he was talking. 

“Oh shit, where did she go?!” Adrien yelled suddenly, cutting off Chloé in the middle of her sentence. 

“What are you talking about?” Marinette asked, eyes widening as she noticed what he meant. Chloé and Sabrina noticed. 

“Adeline’s gone. Oh god, my father is going to kill me.” Adrien put his head in his hands. 

Chloé patted his shoulder. “Calm down Adrien, it’s going to be okay.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure we can find her...” Sabrina trailed off, as she began to look around the room. 

“She couldn’t have gone too far, right…?” Marinette held Adrien’s hand as she looked for Alya in the room- maybe she could help. 

“This place is huge… who knows how long ago she got free and where she is now. Okay, we should split up, maybe recruit the other kids to help. And do  _ not _ let my parents find out.” Adrien suggested to them. The girls nodded. 

“Sabrina and I will take the lower levels. You two take the upper levels.” Chloé said, as she grabbed Sabrina’s hand gently. 

Marinette nodded. “Make sure to ask people to come and help, too.” 

“You got it. Come on, Sabrina.” Chloé said, as she and her “best friend” walked off towards the other side of the room. Marinette flagged down Alya to fill her in what’s going on. Alya passed the news onto Nino, who was in charge of making sure of distracting especially the newlyweds so they didn't figure out that their child had been lost. Marinette and Adrien had recruited Alya, Rose, Juleka, Kagami, and Luka on their side of the search, while Chloé and Sabrina got Alix, Max, Kim, Nathaniel and Marc for their side. Although groups tried to discreetly exit the reception, it was slightly difficult to make a whole group of people exiting all at once. Gabriel took notice and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to alarm Nathalie, so he instead leaned over to Audrey, clearly a little more than tipsy. 

“Audrey… you don’t think something awful just happened, do you?” 

Audrey turned to him, “On your wedding? Psh, no way! They’re just a bunch of kids, who knows what they’re up to...” She had tried to pat his back, but didn’t realize her own strength and accidentally hit him a bit too hard. “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Gabriel…” 

He coughed, and sputtered as he put a hand on his chest, eyeing Audrey as she was sipping a glass of wine, very casually. 

Meanwhile, Adeline was casually just toddling down a long hallway, towards the stairwell of the hotel. She wasn’t totally unsupervised- Emilie was watching her very carefully. Well, someone had to do it. Emilie was originally just outside the venue room, trying to hopefully keep the curious toddler from getting too far away, and clearly, that backfired horribly. They had already gone up a few floors from where the reception was being held, thanks to the tiny human wandering into an elevator that just so happened to stop on the floor. Now, the toddler was faced with her biggest enemy- doors. She was too little to reach the push bar to get the door open, so she looked up to Emilie. 

“Oh no, I am not opening that door.” Emilie said sternly. Adeline, however, was clever enough to have her own response mechanism. 

“Pweeeeeeeeeese?” She asked in her little baby voice, tilting her head slightly. If it worked on daddy, why couldn’t it work on this pretty lady? 

Emilie sighed as she pushed the door open. “Okay, okay… fine.” She followed the child closely behind. Adeline dropped to her knees and began to crawl up the staircase. Emilie was surprised at how good she was at going up the stairs. She was crawling up them at quite a quick pace, until she was met with another door. Emilie had serious doubts about opening this one- this lead to the roof, for God’s sake. Adeline tried to use all of her tiny body to push the door open. Emilie opened it for her. As they got to the rooftop of the hotel, Emilie smiled, as she sits herself down on one of the chairs. Adeline toddled over to her and sat down at her feet. 

At this point, the teenagers were running all through the hotel, asking every person they could if they’ve seen the little girl. They even had a whole text group going on to keep track of information. 

_ Nino: dudes, you better hurry- i think the bride is getting worried  _

_ Sabrina: no one seems to know what i’m talking about :(  _

_ Kagami: I asked a janitor that I found. He said he saw the door to the stairwell open up by itself and a small child walk in. Everyone go there and check by the stairwell on your floor.  _

_ Rose: headed there right now!  _

_ Marinette: Everyone meet in the stairwell, now _

Within a minute, everyone was here. 

“Did you guys find her?” Adrien hollered, voice echoing throughout. 

He got negative responses from everyone. Suddenly, it clicked with Alix, who yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “Did you check the roof?!” 

“Oh God, no…” Adrien said as he immediately took off running up the stairs. The rest of the group followed. 

Once Adrien got to the rooftop door, he immediately pushed it open, with a few people running through after her. He panted, having to put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. How the hell did a one year old end up on the roof all by herself? He had no idea. Currently, she was sitting on the ground, sitting perfectly still and looking up at something… something that wasn’t there. 

“It’s time for you to return to your party, little one. I promise, you’ll see me again soon.” Emilie said to her, as she made her exit back into her realm, discreetly this time. Adeline turned her head to Adrien, who was now surrounded by all of his friends.

Adeline looked excited. “Adri!” She yelled for him again, pulling herself to her feet using a chair and toddling over to him. Adrien was just relieved that they found her. He walks over and scoops her up into his arms, and everyone else was just happy that she was safe. Alya immediately pulled out her phone, and sent Nino a text. 

_Alya: we found her! :) coming back down now, see you soon_ _  
_ _  
_ The group began to walk back down to the party. While they agreed that was exciting, they hoped to never have to do that again. Luka asked, “How could she have even gotten up there?” 

“Someone had to have let her in… she’s obviously not tall enough to open the doors. That, or she followed someone” Rose replied. 

Kagami shook her head, “But the janitor told me the door opened by itself…”   
  
“Well, I know that Daddy didn’t install automatic doors in the hotel…” Chloé clarified. 

“I’m telling you guys, it was definitely whatever was at Adeline’s baptism. Adrien showed you that footage, right?” Alya asked the group, and they gave positive affirmation. 

“Yeah, maybe…. Because it’s not scientifically possible for just any old breeze to open doors like that…” Max said. He was never a believer in the supernatural, but he had no logical reason behind it. 

“I guess it’ll just have to remain a mystery, then… for now.” Marinette said, as she pushed open the door when they arrived at the correct floor. The group of teenagers returned, with the missing child, and one very thankful bride. Gabriel was not pleased with Adrien, but he didn’t let that ruin the rest of the reception. 

Now that everyone was back and happy, the first dance began. Adrien smiled as he watched them dance so perfectly, with a gracefulness he didn’t even know his father had. They looked beautiful together, watching Nathalie’s second dress flowing perfectly with each step they took. As the first dance drew to a close, and the applause began, Adrien stood up from his chair, and looked to Marinette on his right. Now that it was everyone’s turn to dance as well, he offered her his hand. “Care to dance, m’lady?” He then asks her with a smile. Marinette giggled, and gave her his hand. 

“Of course.” She said, as he dragged her to the dance floor, among the other couples. His arms wrapped around her waist, as hers wrapped around his neck. He held her close, as they began to step in time to the music. Adrien sighed in defeat as he looked into her eyes. 

“Is there something wrong, Adrien?” Marinette asked quietly. 

“My father is definitely mad at me for what just happened. He didn’t say anything but I can sense it in the way he looked at me. How am I supposed to watch my sister for a whole ten days alone while they’re away on their honeymoon? I lost her twice in what, six hours?” 

“Twice?” 

“Yeah, after the ceremony- we were about to take pictures and I guess I got distracted and she ran off.” 

“She’s little, Adrien, that’s what little kids like her do. I promise, you’ll be fine. And besides, today was chaotic for everyone... I think your dad will get it. And I’ll always be here if you need help.” She smiled softly at him.

He leaned in to kiss her forehead softly. “Thank you, Marinette. You really are my lucky charm.” He said softly, as they continued to dance. The thought of some supernatural force being around his sister scared him a little. The more Alya talked about it and with her evidence, the more he was believing it. He didn’t know how he would handle these occurrences on his own, but he definitely was going to take extra good care of her sister while his parents were away, to make up for what happened today- and catch any strange occurances. His gut was telling him to be extra aware of his surroundings when the adults of the house are gone. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is in charge of Adeline while his parents are on their honeymoon, and something very out of the ordinary happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: There is a section where there is some graphic content and death does occur- while this does not occur in reality, just be mindful that there is graphic content and death depicted. Skip this section if you feel like it's needed. There will be line breaks before and after the section.

Gabriel and Nathalie had left for the Maldives just three days after their wedding. They were far too excited to spend some time to just themselves, ten whole days of just the two of them, sunshine, and the smell of salty sea air. Despite the less than stellar job Adrien did of watching Adeline at the wedding, they had full confidence that he could watch her while they were gone, but with the help of the Gorilla, of course. The rest of the house staff will also be there to help, which gives them peace of mind that they won’t return with the mansion reduced to rubble or ash. They’ve been checking in once per day, just to make sure everything was going well, despite Adrien telling them to not worry and to relax, though he understood their concern. Though only on day three, things had been going smoothly, and no strange occurrences of unexplainable phenomena yet. Well, nothing that he noticed, anyway… unfortunately for him, he had to be away for a few hours. He promised his friend he’d go swimming with them. Gorilla agreed to watch Adeline for a few hours so he could do so. 

The Gorilla stared at the clock, and then back to the baby monitor. It was almost time to meet Adrien at the pool. Adeline had just woken up, thankfully. He set the monitor down on the table, and made his way up to the young girl’s room, and opened the door. He smiled a bit as he approached her crib and picked her up. Thankfully for him, she was in a good mood this time. Recently she would sometimes wake up, crying and screaming, for no particular reason. The young toddler smiled at him as she gave him a hug. He held her in one arm as he exited her room, and headed down the stairs. 

“Adri?” She asked, a tiny hand resting on his chest. 

“We’re going to go get him right now. Sounds good?” He talked to her, using a finger to brush a stray hair back into place. 

“Yay!” She cheered, as they exited the mansion and headed to the car. He opened the back door, and placed the girl in her car seat. Though she resisted being strapped in at first, he eventually got her properly buckled into her seat. He closed the back door, before getting into the driver’s seat. He pushed the button on the car, and pulled out the driveway. As they headed to the pool, the curious little girl stared out the window. The city of Paris was truly a sight to behold- there were so many people walking about, tall buildings, and trees… Oh, she even saw a little puppy dog! “Puppy!” She yelled, pushing her finger right to the glass. 

“You saw a puppy?” He asked, looking at her via the rearview mirror. 

“Yes.” 

“Do you want a puppy?” 

“Yes!” 

“Maybe I’ll bring my puppy over tomorrow… just don’t tell your father.” He said, as he pulled up to the swim club where he dropped Adrien off earlier this afternoon. Adrien and his friends exited, all waving goodbye to each other. He even gave Marinette a kiss on the cheek, as he walked towards the car. Adrien smiled, as he got into the back of the car, next to his sister dropping his bag on the floor of the car. 

“Hey, thanks for picking me up, I appreciate it.” Adrien said with a smile to Gorilla. 

“Adri!” Adeline said, reaching her arms out towards him. Adrien gives her a hug. 

“Hey Adeline! Did you have fun with Gorilla?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Did ya miss me?” 

Adeline tried to grab for his hand. He placed his hand, as she held it with both of hers. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He chuckled, as he let her hold his hand. It wasn’t a long ride back to the mansion, and soon they were back. Adrien unstrapped Adeline from her carseat, and then slung his bag over his shoulder. He then grabs her from her car seat, and exits the car, as Gorilla opened the door for him.

“Thank you. And I’ll take her with me for a few hours. You watched her alone while I was at the pool. It’s only fair.” Adrien tells Gorilla, as they head inside. Gorilla went to sit in the foyer, as Adrien and Adeline headed up to his room. He needed a shower- though he rinsed himself off at the pool, he needed a proper shower to free himself of the chlorine probably still lingering on his skin and in his hair. He thought for a moment. She was too little to sit out here unsupervised for a longer period of time, so it looked like she was getting bathed too. He placed her on his bed, and dropped his bag on the floor. He would only be gone for a minute… he can trust her to stay still for a moment as he collected her hooded towel, pajamas and a fresh diaper. When he returned, he was pleased to see her just sitting there and now looking at him. He laid her pajamas and diaper on his bed, picking her up and carrying her and her towel into his bathroom. 

He was surprised at how well his plan worked- both of them were now clean, though her hair smelled of his shampoo and not her typical baby shampoo. He stepped out of the bathroom, with her wrapped up in her hooded towel, designed to look like a little sheep. He quickly got her dressed, and now it was his turn. He had only managed to get his pants on before his phone began to ring from his bag on the floor. He sighed as he ran and then knelt down on the floor. He quickly unzipped his bag and pulled out his phone. Of course, it was his father. Adrien supposed it was time to play 20 Questions again, whether he was ready to or not. He sighed as he answered his phone, “Hello Father.” 

“Adrien. How are you doing?” 

“I’m fine, thank you. How’s the Maldives treating you and Nathalie?” Adrien replied, as he slouched forward a bit, resting his elbow on his leg. He glanced over to Adeline, watching her crawl towards his pillows. 

“It’s absolutely lovely. She’s also absolutely lovely. How is your sister doing? Is she behaving? Is she eating well? Are you eating well? No troublesome people have been bothering you, right?” 

“She’s fine, and she’s eating and behaving well too. I’m eating well too. No one’s bothered us yet.” 

“Good… good. Where’s my baby girl?” 

“Right next to me, Father. Would you like to see her?” Adrien asked, as he turned on video chatting. He leaned over and casually grabbed her by the waist. Gabriel did the same. 

“Of course I would.” Gabriel asked. Adrien was slightly jealous- the weather and those beaches looked incredible over camera. 

Adrien placed Adeline on his lap and smiled a bit. “Addy, who’s that on the phone?” 

“Papa!” Adeline said excitedly, but then looked for Nathalie. “Mama?”

“She’s here, princess- Nathalie, come here!” Gabriel turned his head, calling for Nathalie. She got up from her chair, and then came to stand beside him. She knew what was going on. 

“Hello Adrien, hi baby girl,” Nathalie greeted them with a smile. 

“Mama!” Adeline said, beaming with joy once more. Adrien chuckled a little. 

“I see you two are doing well…” Nathalie commented, with a small smile.

“Yep. I got both of us cleaned up- Gorilla watched her earlier while I went swimming with my friends. It was a lot of fun! She was well behaved today. She napped like she was supposed to, didn’t throw any tantrums…” 

“We’re glad to hear it. We miss you two, and can’t wait to see you again.” Nathalie said, now holding onto Gabriel’s arm.

Adrien smiled as Adeline stood herself up on his lap. “Miss you too. Enjoy the rest of your day.” They all said their farewells, and Adrien hung up the phone. Now he just wasn’t sure what to do with her. He knew he should probably put a shirt on before anything. He placed her down on his bed, before walking to his closet and retrieving his standard shirt. Returning to the bed, he flopped down on it, minding where Adeline was sitting. He turned his head to look up at her. They stared blankly at each other before she crawled over and sat on his back. 

“Play?” 

“You want to play? Alright, let’s play, then… but you have to get off my back first.” Adrien said, reaching back to try and coax her off of his back so he can stand up. 

He took her to her room- she had far more interesting toys to play with. That’s what he did with the rest of his evening- aside from them eating dinner, they played with nearly every toy she had in her room- from blocks, to books, to dolls and even playing with stuffed animals. He was reading her one last story. It was her bedtime now- as indicated by her yawning softly and rubbing her eyes. As Adrien wrapped up the last page of the book, he closed it and put it on the table next to the chair he was sitting in. He walked over to her crib, and laid her down. He put the blanket over her- the very one Marinette gifted to her. It was Adeline’s favorite blanket. After searching around for her pacifier, he gave it to her and she placed it in her mouth. She also was holding her absolute favorite stuffed kitty as she gazed up at him, eyes riddled with sleep. 

“Good night, Adeline.” He whispered to her, before heading to the door, turning off the lights, and closing the door. She began to fade into dream land, eyes slowly closing. Emilie was there too, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the forehead. She sat down next to the crib, leaning back against the wall. 

* * *

As Adeline drifted into sleep, she could hear violent coughing. Actually, in fact, it sounded like her that was coughing. Something wasn’t right. She felt older suddenly- like a grown woman. She felt weak, and fatigued as she fell to her knees. She was coughing violently, until she felt something warm come out of her mouth. She looked at her hands- there was blood all over them, running down to her sleeves. There were panicked footsteps coming over- three people running at her full force. Their faces looked like blurs, but she could recognize their bodies.

_ “Emilie! Oh my god, Emilie… Nathalie, call the paramedics, now. You, keep Adrien distracted. I don’t want him to see this.” _ The one voiced cried- it sounded like her father. Her name wasn’t Emilie- he should know that. 

  
  
_“Yes, sir.”_ The lone woman voice replied, heels clicking against the marble floor as she dialed for the paramedics. The other man rushed out of the room. She felt herself being picked up by her father- who was trying his best not to cry. 

_ “Emilie… Emilie I’m so sorry. I’m getting you help. You’re going to be okay. Why did you keep using that damn jewel? You knew it was broken!”  _ His voice cracked as he held her close. She coughed up more blood, now it was running down her face and staining her blonde hair. She wanted to reply and tell him why, but she felt like she couldn’t breathe properly enough and her brain was too fogged to make words. And why did he suddenly care now? Was it because she was gravely ill now? Wait a second… this wasn’t Adeline’s thoughts anymore. 

_ “The paramedics are on their way, sir.”  _ That was the last thing she remembered hearing. She was slipping into unconsciousness. Everything was black. She felt herself being loaded into an ambulance and hooked up to a monitor of sorts. She heard the steadying beeps, but it began to slow down. They began to rush to the hospital. 

_ “I think we’re losing her.”  _ She heard someone say- it was one of the paramedics. 

_ “Hang on Mrs. Agreste, we’re almost there…”  _ Mrs. Agreste? Who is this? She just saw her mommy and she was fine. Who was this other Mrs. Agreste? When she awoke again, she looked up and saw that she was surrounded by her mom and dad. Nathalie looked quite upset herself. 

  
  
_“Emilie, thank god you’re awake again… Emilie? Emilie!”_ Nathalie said, each call of her name sounding more and more distressed. Now her own mom can’t even get her name right? What’s going on here? She looked around- she was in a hospital room. There was an IV drip in her arm, and a mask on her face to help her breathe. She wasn’t awake for much longer. She slipped into another unconscious spell. Her heart rate monitor was slowing down… slower… and then suddenly, nothing. Everything was black again- she was in a void of silence and darkness. She was left alone with her thoughts- not that she had many to think about.

She awoke again. She had no idea where she was. She looked down- she could see herself, or rather… that angel lady she sees more often. She could see her own body, and her mom and dad looked distraught. Her dad was holding her hand, hoping for her to reawaken. The doctors came in- breaking the bad news. She was gone. Emilie Agreste was gone, and now she was here, in the spirit realm. Adeline was confused, and terrified, but Emilie was calm. She knew this was what she deserved and she finally felt free. She looked down- they covered her body with a sheet, and took her off. Her dad looked like a broken man, while he was holding some broken jewelry as her mother stood there, unsure of what to do. Wait a minute… Adeline was sure she’s seen that broken brooch before in her dreams. What was her daddy doing with it?

_“Sir, I think I may have an idea.”_ Nathalie said.  
 _  
_ _  
__“What, just magically bring her back?”  
_ _  
_ _  
__“Perhaps that book has an answer to your problems. This does seem to be as a result of broken magic from a broken miraculous.”_

Gabriel stopped to think.  _ “You may be on to something…” _

* * *

Emilie then began to cry. Or was it herself, Adeline, beginning to cry? She wasn’t sure who she was or who was crying anymore. Her small cries began to turn into loud sobs of agony and anguish, her entire body shaking now with each cry. 

_ “Oh god, Adeline! I’m so sorry! You weren’t supposed to see this!”  _ Emilie panicked, trying desperately to wake up the toddler, who was sobbing loudly and uncontrollably in her sleep. Unfortunately, she has no control over what memories are seen until it’s too late. Just down the hall, Adrien had a gut feeling that something was wrong while talking to Marinette. 

“Marinette? Sorry, I have to go. I’ll call you back.” Adrien told her, quickly hanging up his phone and dropping it down. He sped to Adeline’s room at top speed- he heard her practically screaming at the top of her lungs. His heart sank- he had never heard her cry like that. He rushed over to the crib and immediately picked her up and held her close. She was still asleep- she must be having a night terror. He grabbed her blanket and stuffed cat. “Addy! Adeline! Oh come on, please wake up… It’s okay, I’m here now.” He begged of her, trying to gently rouse her. She was crying still, but not as loudly. Her tears were soaking his shirt, and he began to panic. What was he going to do? He can’t ask Nathalie or his father for advice. He didn’t want to bother them while they were away, so he rushed back to his room, and sat back on his bed. She was sitting on his lap and he held her close. His jittery free hand picked up his phone and dialed Marinette back. 

She instantly answered, worried about Adrien’s sudden disappearance. Something had to be wrong. “Adrien? Is there something wrong? Are you okay?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien was trying to calm down Adeline. She had finally just woken up, but she was still crying. “Yeah, I’m okay. I think Addy had a night terror. She was hysterical when I went into her room and I don’t know what to do…” He sounded quite distressed himself. 

“Just take a deep breath, okay? It’s going to be okay. Just let her know that you’re there for her.” Marinette calmly told him. She was worried for him too, but she had to remain strong for Adrien. 

“Okay… Adeline, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here…” He said, beginning to rock her gently. The young girl was clinging to him tightly, looking up at him as her cries turned to whines, and then eventually to silence. She was still awake. Over the phone, Marinette sighed in relief. 

“Is she okay now?” Marinette asked again. 

Adrien smiled. “Yeah, she stopped crying. She’s just cuddling me and her stuffed kitty. We named it Chaton.” He chuckled lightly. She did as well. 

“You’re so cute. Anyway… maybe I should leave you two alone. Adeline needs you, plus it’s getting late. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. Talk to you tomorrow. Love you and good night.” 

“I love you too. Good night, Adrien.” 

He hung up the phone, and put it on his desk. Thank goodness he’d gotten ready for bed before she had started to cry, because he didn’t want to leave her alone for the rest of the night. He wrapped both of his arms around her and hugged her close. She was snuggling her stuffed Chaton as Adrien wrapped her blanket around her. He had placed the pacifier back into her mouth, as it had fallen out while she cried. “You’re bunking with me tonight, okay?” He told her soothingly, rubbing her back. Her eyes began to drift shut, trying to fight sleep. He couldn’t blame her, but he desperately wanted to get her back to sleep. 

“Adeline… please go to sleep. I’m here. No bad guy is gonna get you. I promise, okay?” He said softly. She was losing the battle against the sleep, and eventually she went back to sleep, laying against him. Adrien sighed in relief. He slowly slipped her away from him, going up to go turn off the lights quickly, before returning to lay in his bed. He placed her on the pillow next to him before he slid under the covers. As he looked over at her, seeing her sleep peacefully now, he reached for his phone. He unlocked it as he opened up TikTok, he had the volume turned down very low, so that she couldn’t hear. While he mindlessly scrolled through the app and watched cute videos of animals and some silly memes, he was thinking about what Adeline could have been dreaming about to cause such an intense night terror. Maybe it was that same thing that he saw show up at her baptism, and at the wedding, or maybe it was Miraculous related. He didn’t know, but he knew someone who would, and the first night his parents came back, he’d seek her and ask.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sick of not knowing, Adrien goes out to seek answers.

After that night, Adrien became extra conscious of Adeline- he felt like he had to watch her closer than ever after that. No one was going to mess with her like that while under his care. Thankfully for him, that was the first and last time such an episode occurred. The rest of the time his parents were away went relatively smoothly after that, minus the fact that he didn’t sleep very much. It was starting to get to him- even getting some questions from his friends. Nathalie and Gabriel were returning today, and now he can sleep again. He was sitting at his computer, frequently checking on his phone from text updates from them. After getting lost in watching a video game review, he got the text he was looking for- “We’re almost home”. Adrien was both excited and relieved. He paused his video and got out of his chair, and ran down the hall and burst into his sister’s room. Adeline was playing with one of her many toys, on the floor. She\ turned to look at him. Adrien was grinning to her, “Guess what, Addy? Papa and Mama are almost back! Let’s go and greet them. Are you excited?” 

She smiled at him, grabbing her toy as she toddled over to him. He scooped her up and she wrapped one arm around him. “Yes!” 

“Me too.” He replied, as he ran out of the room, and down the stairs. She was giggling a little, too. Minutes later, the double doors opened. The Gorilla entered first, and then Nathalie and Gabriel. 

Adeline’s eyes lit up as she began to reach for Nathalie. “Mama!” She cried excitedly. Nathalie smiled as she dropped her suitcase and purse. 

“Hi, Baby!” Nathalie greeted her daughter, going over to take her and give her a hug. “Did you miss me and Papa?” 

“Yes!” She said, as she rests her head on her shoulder. 

“Welcome home, guys.” Adrien said with a smile, going over to hug both of them. They hugged him back, as Adeline was making grabby hands to Gabriel. He took her into his arms. 

“Thank you, son,” Gabriel said as he holds his daughter. He noticed that Adrien had very dark circles and bags under his eyes. He looked to Nathalie. 

“Adrien… have you been sleeping well?” Nathalie asked as she went to hug him. 

He hardly expected them to notice, so he panicked internally. He looked up at them. “Yes, of course! Never better.” 

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “You’re lying. What have we told you about lies?” 

“When you lie, you only dig your grave deeper.” Adrien regurgitated, verbatim what he was told. 

“Correct. So, what’s going on?” 

Adrien sighed, trying to avoid looking at them directly now. “When you guys were gone, Adeline had a really bad nightmare… She was crying in her sleep and it was really terrible. After that I wanted to make sure that nothing weird was messing with her, so I stayed up a lot of the night to make sure she was okay.” 

“Okay, one, why didn’t you tell us, and two, what could possibly be messing with her? No one snuck in, right?” 

“I didn’t want to interrupt your vacation. And no, no one snuck in... But I think we’re haunted. Maybe that explains all that weird stuff that’s been happening.” Adrien suggested.

“You must be seeing things. Perhaps you should go to your room.” Gabriel ordered 

Nathalie gave him a pitying smile, as she put a hand on his head. “I agree… Adrien you really should go get some rest before dinner.” 

Adrien was shocked- he didn’t even get a chance to explain. “But…” the look in his eyes turned from one of defeat to one of anger, a certain fire in his eyes alight. “You know what? Fine. But I’m telling you, that there is something, and I’m not crazy.” He raised his voice at them, as he turned around and marched upstairs. His door closed behind him as the two of them watched. 

“Someone’s certainly cranky.” Gabriel snidely commented as he looked to Nathalie. 

“Adrien’s just tired. Once he gets some sleep, he’ll be in a better mood.” She assured him. From over Gabriel’s shoulder, Adeline was looking around. She swore she saw an extra light from the large window overhead- a signal that it was her pretty lady friend. Her blue eyes widened as she craned her head up. 

“Emmy?” She called out for her friend. Gabriel and Nathalie’s conversation was interrupted, as the adults turned to look at the small child. 

“What did you say, mon ange?” Nathalie asks the child.

Adeline repeated the same word, “Emmy.”

To say the least, they were baffled. Nathalie looked to Gabriel, and then to Adeline, and back to him again. “Do you know anyone named Emmy?” Nathalie asks. 

“No, do you?” He asked, with her shaking her head in response. 

“Perhaps we should ask Adrien. Maybe that’s one of his friends.” 

“We should let him rest. We can ask him at dinner tonight.” 

“You’re right. Right now, we should go unpack our suitcases.” 

He nodded, and picked up his suitcase and she did the same, picking up her suitcase and purse. They headed up the stairs and to the master bedroom. Gabriel placed Adeline on the bed, as he and Nathalie began to unpack their suitcases, and talking about their vacation. Adeline flopped back onto the bed, and just stared at the ceiling. She wondered where Emilie was- and why she couldn’t play right now. Maybe she was just busy, like her mama and papa usually are? Perhaps calling her name again will get her attention, she thought. 

“Emmy, hi?” She called again, sitting up and trying to look around the room. 

Gabriel turned to his child, who was now curiously looking around the room. “Uh… hello?” He replied, knowing she wasn’t talking to him, but figured perhaps that would help her. 

Frustrated by the lack of response from the correct person she was looking for, Adeline threw herself into the mattress and began to scream at the top of her lungs and cry. Gabriel stared in disbelief, as Nathalie walked over to her and patted her back. 

“What is going on? Both of my normally well behaved children are behaving like animals.” Gabriel said, as he walked over to the screaming toddler and just watched. He was unsure what to do. 

“Adeline, honey… what happened? Please stop crying.” Nathalie talked loudly, trying to calm her down, but to no avail. She picks her up and sighs as she tries to console her. Emilie was watching- and it doesn’t look like Adeline’s going to stop. Looks like she may just have to step in. She stepped down, and stood behind Nathalie, in Adeline’s view. She reached a hand towards her. Adeline’s screams and sobs finally relented, as she felt a familiar touch on her head. 

Emilie looked at the infant. “Adeline, please. Be a good girl for your mama and papa. I’ll come and play with you later, okay?” 

Adeline stopped her tears as she heard Emilie talking to her. “Emmy.” 

Emilie leaned in about to give the baby a kiss on the forehead- but she remembered what happened last time, and refrained. However, she did opt to hug her. Emilie wrapped her arms around both Nathalie and Adeline. The child was pleased now, but her mother tensed up as she felt some sort of force around her- like a hug… but no one was there. She must have looked a bit more startled than intended, as Gabriel was growing concerned. Emilie then left just as quickly as she came. Thankfully, Adeline was fully calm now. 

“My beloved, are you okay?” He asks, as he sits himself opposite of her on the bed. 

Nathalie nodded. “I’m okay, but I swore someone just hugged me. It wasn’t you, because I could see you the entire time. And it’s not Adrien...” 

“I’m sure it was nothing. Shall we continue unpacking? Maybe that’ll get your mind off things…” He suggested.

She agreed, carefully setting down the toddler, and giving her a video to watch on the tablet. The two resumed unpacking, dumping their clothes that needed to be washed into the laundry baskets, and packing away clothes that were already cleaned back into their appropriate locations. Once their suitcases were emptied, Nathalie collected them, and placed them back onto their proper shelf. After she returns from the master closet, she goes to sit next to him, wrapping her arms around him loosely and then resting her head on his shoulder. Not long after they got a chance to sit and relax, it was finally dinner time, and thank goodness, because they were starving. At the dinner table, Adrien apologized for his earlier behavior. He was aware that he was acting irrationally. In exchange, Gabriel also apologized for assuming his son was insane, but not after Nathalie had to give him a subtle kick to the shin. They asked him if he knew anyone named Emmy. He didn’t- just as they figured. Perhaps it was just an imaginary friend she made up, and they dismissed the occurrence as just that. 

After dinner, Adrien returned to his room, and he sat down on his couch, leaning his head back to look at his incredibly high ceiling. He sighed audibly as Plagg flew out from his shirt. 

“You sure that napping made me feel better? I’m happy after I nap, you just seem grumpy. Are you still mad at your dad for calling you crazy?” Plagg remarked as he floated next to Adrien’s head. 

Adrien’s face deadpanned. “Thanks, Plagg, really appreciate it.” He remarked, voice rich with sarcasm. “Yeah, I’m still kind of annoyed. He still doesn’t believe me and treats me like I’m a little kid.” 

“If it makes you feel any better… I believe you.” 

“Really?” 

“Well duh. I was with you the entire time. I could see what happened, even from my comfy pocket.”

“Thank you, Plagg… I appreciate it.” Adrien said with a smile. He decided to give Plagg a piece of camembert, kept in a tiny box. Plagg happily accepted the morsel and ate it with delight. Suddenly, Adrien had a thought. “What if all this stuff is miraculous magic? Do you think someone’s messing with a miraculous to get revenge on me or my father, or Nathalie?” 

“I dunno. Maybe?” Plagg replied with a mouthful of cheese, much to Adrien’s annoyance. 

“Well, I know someone who will… Marinette. Looks like Chat Noir and Adeline will be meeting tonight.” 

“Uh.. you sure that’s a good idea?” 

“Positive. Besides, we’ll be back before anyone notices that we’re gone. And now, we wait.” Adrien said while he picked up his game controller. Plagg though that Adrien’s plan was stupid. He slipped into Adrien’s shirt again. To kill some time, Adrien turned on the gaming console plugged into his TV, and flopped back down onto the couch. He was playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, a game that he’s always enjoyed. Plus, he got sucked deep into the plot and gameplay, which helped kill time. After he completed one of the longer quests, he picked up his phone to check the time. Perfect- Adeline’s probably been asleep for an hour at this point. He powered off the TV and game console, and set the controller down. He stood up. 

“Alright Plagg, it’s go time.” 

Plagg flew out of his shirt and looked up at him. “Do we have to?” 

“Yes, we have to. Plagg, claws out!” 

In a flash of light, he was transformed into Chat Noir, as he made a quiet escape out of his room, back pressed the wall as he tiptoed down to Adeline’s room. His eyes darted up and down the hall as he stopped just outside her room, as he reached a hand toward the door. He pushed the door open and silently entered the room. Not a sound was made from the sleeping child in her crib- only the sound of sheets and blankets rustling. Chat Noir tip-toed over to the crib and reached down to pick her up. He held her close to his chest as he took out his baton. When the window was opened and a gentle breeze hit them, Adeline slowly woke up. She looked up at the person who was holding her so protectively. The baton extended, and they set off, Chat Noir twirling the baton as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop. He looked down at her and noticed she had woken up. 

“Well hello there, little lady.” He said with a small smile to her. The Eiffel Tower was just ahead- where he agreed to meet Ladybug. 

The gears in her little mind were turning- this mystery figure looked a lot like Adrien… and sounded just like him too. It had to be him, right? Just wearing a funny mask and kitty ears. “Adri?” 

Chat Noir almost missed the landing out of sheer surprise- how did she figure out who he was? Was it that obvious, or was she just that smart? He looked down at her again. “No, I’m not Adri… I’m Chat Noir! One half of the coolest superhero team ever!” 

Well, she at least seemed to buy that, for now… One last jump and Chat Noir landed on one platform of the Eiffel Tower. Now, he normally would have just leapt his way to the top… but he decided it’d be safer just to take the elevator- and that’s what he did. Ladybug was there, waiting for him, and tapping her foot as she was looking out for him. Her attention was caught by the sound of the elevator opening up. She turned from looking out over Paris, to Chat who was stepping out into the dim light that illuminated the area they were standing in. 

“Evening m’lady.” Chat greeted her, going to give her a hug, and a smooch. 

“Chat Noir… why did you bring your sister with you tonight?” She asked, noticing the familiar toddler in his arm. Adeline looked over to Ladybug- she couldn’t see her face well, but she saw the distinct outline of another familiar person- she and Adrien are together a lot of the time. Her eyes lit up. 

“Mari?” Adeline asks. She liked Marinette a lot- she would give her croissants and cookies sometimes and also was really nice. 

Ladybug seemed just as surprised as Chat Noir that a one year old could figure them out so quickly. She approached and said softly, “No no, not Mari… My name is Ladybug, and my partner here is Chat Noir… but you knew that already.” She turned to Chat, “I love you, and her, but are you crazy? You could not only get in trouble from your father and step-mother, but you can get her seriously hurt if we have to fight!” 

Chat sighed, knowing full well that she was right. “But I have a good reason. I didn’t want her to leave her alone. No crazy things will happen to her if I’m always watching her. Anyway, I kinda had a question about her… It’s about miraculous magic. Do you think miraculous magic is behind all the unexplainable coincidences? The feathers? The random figure? The random instances of bright lights? The night terror?” 

“Hmm… While it sounds like some of it may be, I don’t think this has anything to do with miraculous magic. The feathers are very much tangible, and not peacock feathers… I don’t know of any miraculous powers that generate anything like what we saw on that video. And who would want to use a miraculous to torment a small child?” Ladybug asked as she looked to Adeline, who was already fast asleep. 

“I don’t know… someone who’s out to get me, or my father… or Nathalie. Do you think that there’s someone out there who wants to do that?” 

Ladybug stood next to Chat Noir and leaned her head on his shoulder, and threaded his arms with hers. “Chat, I don’t think there is anyone out there who’d mess with you like that. Whether there is, or isn’t someone out there causing all this, I’ll be here for you. Together, we will protect your family, my family, our friends, and Paris. Understand?” 

Chat leaned into her and closed his eyes. She soothed his anxieties, at least a little. Of course he could always count on her. “Thank you, m’lady. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better by my side.” 

“Of course, Chaton… but, you think maybe we should get her back to her room? Just in case someone notices she’s gone?” 

He nodded- and they better hurry. Time is of the essence as they began their journey back to the Agreste mansion. Just as Chat had gotten to the Eiffel Tower, he and Ladybug jumped from rooftop to rooftop, until they were just across from the side of the mansion. Their target was just in sight- the open window to Adeline’s room. Thankfully she was still asleep. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo across the gap between the building and the mansion. It connected with part of the railing by the window, as she swung across the way. Chat lept and spun his baton as he followed her. After a bit of a rough landing on the tiny balcony, they two climbed through the window. They climbed into the window, but Ladybug ended up falling onto the floor as she climbed in after Chat. He placed the sleeping toddler into her crib quickly, especially because he could hear footsteps. 

“Plagg, claws in.” Adrien whispered, gesturing for Ladybug to hide. She slid out of the window and ducked down. Adrien peered into the crib as the door opened. Through the door to the room that was previously opened, Gabriel walked in- in his pajamas and without his glasses. He squinted. 

“Adrien, is that you? What are you doing here? You should be asleep.” 

Adrien swallowed. “I... thought I heard something. In here, so I was just checking in here.” He smiled innocently. 

“Is this why you haven’t been sleeping? Are you paranoid about her having another nightmare like the one you mentioned earlier?” 

Adrien looked at his feet, embarrassed at his behavior. “Yeah…” 

Gabriel put a hand on his son’s shoulder as he led him out of the room, closing the door behind them. “Listen, I know you’re scared… but you shouldn’t be worrying about her so much. That should be Nathalie and I’s job to worry so much about her. You’re a very kind young man to care so much, but you shouldn’t be losing sleep. Please, just go to bed. You need to sleep.” Gabriel explained to him in his softest voice, leading him to his room. They walked through the door to his room. Suddenly, Adrien stopped, and gave his father a hug. Though a bit surprised, Gabriel returned the hug. 

“Okay Father, I will… thank you. Good night.” Adrien said, as he let his father go, and crawled into bed. Gabriel smiled a little. 

“Good night, Adrien.” Gabriel said, as he closed the bedroom door as he left. Adrien got out of bed again, hearing for the sound of the master bedroom door closing again. He was going to go back out on patrol. Adeline would be fine- and his father was right. 

“Plagg, claws out.” Adrien said softly, as he transformed back into Chat Noir. He walked over to his bedroom window, and opened it. He poked his head out, and waved to Ladybug. She interpreted his pointing and gesturing that he’d meet her on the rooftop of the building just across the way. She tossed her yoyo and hooked itself around some structure on the rooftop. She jumped from the small balcony and swung her way to the rooftop. He leaped from his window, and joined her- he promised himself that once they were done, he would get some sleep, just like he told his father. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilie gives Adeline a memory of a certain creature.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains depictions of both physical and verbal abuse. The section in which this occurs in separated in the chapter with a horizontal line breaks- if you do not wish to see anything like that, then please skip the content between the line breaks.

After giving his extreme worries a rest, Adrien was getting better. Over the next six months, Adeline’s only had one other nightmare, which made him feel confident that no one was after her. The young child’s vocabulary was growing, and growing very well-- she was talking a lot more nowadays, and sometimes she just doesn’t stop talking. While it’s very endearing most of the time, it can get annoying- especially considering Nathalie and Gabriel aren’t very talkative people to begin with. The family loved to see her little personality shining through even more through her vocabulary. She was learning so many new things, and that was also a delight to see. Thankfully, she also had a very bold imagination, and was comfortable with playing games with herself and using it to entertain herself, like she currently was doing. She was sitting on the floor, setting up a tiny tea party for her stuffed animals. Each one had its own spot on the floor, with a tea cup in front of it. She has one more tea cup for a very special person. Her special friend 

“Emlie!” She yelled. Soon, Emilie appeared, standing beside her. 

“Yes, little one?” 

“Play?” Adeline had picked up the pretend tea cup and held it out to her. 

Emilie smiled. How could she say no to that face? She sits down on the ground, and takes the teacup. She knew that the little girl would be up here alone for a bit longer, considering Gabriel and Nathalie are busy with the company… and Adrien’s attending his classes right now, so really, she was all she had. “Of course I’ll play with you. Pour me some tea, please.” Emilie gestured to the tea pot.

Adeline picked up the tea pot, and pretended to pour her a cup of tea. She did the same for herself, and her stuffed animals. Emilie smiled, as she took a pretend sip of pretend tea. She smiled fondly, remembering playing little games of pretend with Adrien from time to time when he was Adeline’s age. She felt a warmth in her chest, where her heart used to be. “Your tea is fantastic, Adeline. Reminds me of when Adrien was your age.” 

Adeline was surprised- Emilie knew Adrien? She wondered how- because all she knew of Emilie was… well, her name. She put down her fake tea cup. “Adri?” 

“Of course. I’m Adrien’s mommy.” 

“Adri mommy.” 

“Yes, that’s right. You’re very smart for a little kid for your age.” 

Adeline giggled a little, sipping her imaginary tea. She just remembered- she forgot the fake cookies! That was obviously the best part. She crawled over to her toys, and grabbed a box- with a picture of a cookie on it, and even filled with little fake cookies. Marinette made this- and Adeline loved it! There were fake croissants, and other pastries. Adeline had a bit of an obsession with the cookies and pastries from Tom and Sabine’s bakery, so the fake bakery treats were one of her favorite things to play with. She opened up the replica Tom and Sabine’s Bakery box, and offered Emilie the pretend cookie. Emilie looked at it- the one she was offered was a paper replica of her favorite- Biscuit rose de Reims. In the little box, she could also see paper renditions of palets de dames, macarons, and palmiers, to name a few. Emilie pretended to eat the cookie and smiled down at her. 

“Absolutely delicious,” She remarked, as she hides the pink colored rectangle. “Mr. Dupain and Ms. Cheng make the best cookies in Paris.” She recalled fondly often stopping by the bakery to smuggle herself some cookies. Gabriel was not happy that she wouldn’t share with him, but would happily give a cookie to Adrien, and even Nathalie. Adeline took a fake cookie for herself, and also pretended to eat it. She patted her tummy and then giggled a little. Emilie giggled as well, as she put her hand on Adeline’s shoulder. She figured that now would be a good time to give her another glimpse into her own earthly life. She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the toddler’s forehead. 

Adeline froze, sitting perfectly still as her irises flashed a brilliant blue for just a second. She blinked, and she felt like an adult again- a feeling so new but familiar at the same exact time… but she was angry this time- really angry. 

* * *

  
  


A hatred that burned deeper than any emotion she experienced. From her jewelry box, she grabbed a brooch, and inspected it closely. It was shaped like a peacock, and a pale green on the exterior. There was some visible damage to it, but some physical damage doesn’t affect its properties, right? She only knew what this was- and what it did. This was the peacock miraculous, and could make monsters out of emotions. She pressed down on the backing, causing the pin to open up. She pinned the brooch to her shirt, on the left side of her body. The jewel began to glow, blue and purple spliced with green as a small little creature came out- and it seemed very excited! 

_ “Yay! I’m so glad to meet you! Is it time to play?” _ The little creature said, flying over to her and nuzzling into her face. She smiled a little. 

_ “Why, aren’t you the cutest little… er, thing? What’s your name?” _

_ “I’m Duusu! Who are you?”  _ It asked, as it sat upon her shoulder. 

_ “My name is Emilie. And yes, it’s time to play. Gabriel is being such a fucking jerk, and I’m going to make him pay.” _

_ “Oh! Um… but why? Surely you can do that by just talking… right?”  _

_ “He won’t listen to me. I swear, I don’t know why I married him sometimes.”  _

_ “Okay… well, to transform, just say ‘spread my feathers’!”  _ _  
  
_

She nodded.  _ “Duusu, spread my feathers!”  _

La Paonne was now out to play. She plucked a feather from her fan, and held it in her fist. The feather turned a lovely shade of blue. She grabbed one of her necklaces from her jewelry box, and put the feather into it. Now, time for the real action. Emilie closed her eyes and began to form a sentimonster. She moved her arms and hands gracefully, and once she was done, she opened her eyes to see her final product- it was perfect. It was like looking at herself- however, she wasn’t feeling so well. She felt a bit dizzy, so she leaned against the wall. She couldn’t just stop now… so she pressed on. 

_ “Senti-Emilie, I command you to go find Gabriel Agreste.” _

The sentimonster nodded, as she left the master bedroom. Following behind her, La Paonne stopped at the doorway, and slowly sat down. This way, she could hear and control Senti-Emilie. Just as Senti-Emilie reached the bottom of the stairs, Nathalie exited from the dining area- it seems like she was taking a sippy cup of water upstairs for Adrien. 

Nathalie was there to witness the spat between them. She looked up, and caught a glimpse of not one, but two figures- she understood what was happening now.  _ “Mrs. Agreste, I believe that Mr. Agreste said he wished to be left alone af--” _ _  
  
_

_ “Oh Nathalie… don’t worry about it,”  _ Emilie said with a gentle smile and her voice sweet as honey,  _ “and if you say anything about what you saw, I’ll have you fired. Understand?” _

Nathalie nodded, not at all phased by the empty threat just made. She proceeded up the stairs, and towards Adrien’s room. Senti-Emilie then shoved her way into the atelier. Gabriel looked up from the book he was looking at. He didn’t seem too thrilled to see her.  _ “I thought I said to leave me be.” _

_ “No, I am NOT leaving you be.”  _ She said sternly, as she walked over to him. He grew alarmed as he saw his wife’s face growing more and more angry.  _ “Gabriel Agreste, you really can be the worst.” _ Her voice was like a cold razor blade to the skin. 

_ “Oh come on, all this over plans for our son? I believe that he should go to maternelle, and you don’t. It would be good for him.” _

Senti-Emilie glared at him.  _ “Here you go again- you’re too busy with your work as always and you think you know what’s best for Adrien. I think he’d be better off being homeschooled.”  _

_ “He’s my son, too! I should get a say in what decisions we make for him.”  _

_ “You act like your work is more important than him. I don’t even know why I had you sign the birth certificate. You’re hardly even a father!”  _

Now, Gabriel was angry.  _ “How can you say something like that? I love Adrien just as much as you do! Just because I want to send him out of the house for a few hours so he can have fun, learn and make friends doesn’t mean I don’t love him.”  _

_ “If you loved him so much, you’d want him always around! That’s what I learned growing up. I was homeschooled because my parents never wanted me to leave because they loved me so much!”  _

_ “Well, they were wrong. And you’re wrong, too. Now please, leave me alone.” _ Gabriel insisted, trying his best to not completely lose his cool. 

Her hand balled into a fist as she punched him right in his nose.  _ “No. You are agreeing to keep Adrien here with us, or else I’m leaving you, taking my son and you will never hear from us again.”  _

Gabriel was incredibly surprised by the threat, but also distressed, as he touched his face- there was blood. That’s where he wanted this argument to end.  _ “No… Emilie, please... Okay, fine, we will homeschool him, then.”  _

Emilie smiled at him.  _ “Good. I will leave you alone, now.”  _ She turned heel, and then exited, just as Nathalie entered. She had to act surprised at seeing her boss in such a state- and then offered to get him a rag to help him with his injury. La Paonne recalled Senti-Emilie upstairs. Once removing her amok from her necklace, she put the necklace back in its spot. 

_ “Duusu, fall my feathers,”  _ She said, feeling rather unwell now. And everything faded to black.

* * *

_  
_ Adeline blinked again as she looked up at Emilie, and then around the room. She was looking for someone. “Duusu?” Adeline asked. 

Emilie was confused- but then she realized which memory she saw. The first time she used the miraculous. She admits, what she did to Gabriel in that moment was out of pure fury- and she regretted how far she let it go. Maybe she should have just listened to Duusu- though it was several years too late.  _ “You got to see Duusu?”  _

Adeline nodded as she stood up. She wanted to go see if she could find that brooch, so she could meet Duusu too. The little kwami seemed like such a joy, and would be even better to play with. She set off on her journey for the brooch. She pushed open her door with a little help, and then she looked around. Maybe she could ask help from Mama and Papa! She wasn’t typically allowed to go down the stairs alone and usually had help from someone older, but today, she was going to try it. She began to walk down the stairs, going slowly. Stairs like these are really tough for tiny legs like hers, as she was leaning against the bannister for support. It took her a while, but she made it down. Though, she lost her balance and fell off the last step onto her hands and knees. After a moment, she got up and took a look around- she knew where her mama was- in that door right to her right. She began to run at the door, thinking it would just open if she did that. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, and the small child hit the door at full force, being knocked down onto her butt. 

The sound was enough to startle Nathalie and Gabriel from inside- as Nathalie dropped her stylus onto her desk. “What the hell was that?” Her husband just shrugged at her, as he continued to draw- so she rolled her eyes and then got up to investigate. Much to her surprise, her young daughter was sitting on the floor and looking up at her. “How did you get down here?” Nathalie asked, as she picked her up. Adeline didn’t reply, but instead just rested her head on her mom’s shoulder and hugged her. 

“Duusu?” Adeline asked. Nathalie felt her soul jump out of her body, and Gabriel looked alarmed. How did she hear such a name? 

“Ma petite, can you please repeat that?” Gabriel asked in disbelief. 

“Duusu?” 

He thought that’s what she said- he looked at Nathalie and she looked back at him. This was too much of a coincidence. They really needed to figure out what was going on in her head- how did she know the name of a kwami? There’s absolutely no way she could have just pulled that name out of thin air. What were they supposed to say? She’d be too young to understand anything about what a miraculous is, and what it does. Nathalie came up with something. 

“Duusu’s napping right now. Maybe she’ll want to play with you later.” Nathalie said, as she patted her head. Gabriel watched his daughter, with concern. He was worried about her and what goes on in her head- how does she know so much about things that happened in the past? Gabriel stepped closer to Nathalie. 

“Perhaps we should have a doctor see her- a psychologist, and tomorrow. Maybe they can find out how she knows so much about things we don’t tell her.” Gabriel suggested, as he gives Adeline a pat on the back gently. Nathalie shook her head. 

“Gabriel, she’s fine. Don’t overthink about it, okay? And besides… isn’t Amelie and Felix coming over tomorrow?” 

He totally forgot. Amelie and Felix were coming to see Emilie’s final resting place. He hadn’t even told her that he had married Nathalie and has another child. He put his head in his hands. “Dammit, she is… and I haven’t even told her about us, and about Adeline.” 

Nathalie looked a little insulted. “What? Why not?” 

“Because that’s none of Amelie’s business, what I do in my personal life.. She doesn’t need to know everything about me.” 

“That’s very fair,” Nathalie said, now giving him a smile, “she’ll be in for quite the surprise, I believe.” 

“She certainly will be. I hope she’s not offended.” 

“And who cares if she is?” 

“I won’t. Adrien may care, but I think he’ll just be happy to see her and Felix again.” Gabriel said, not quite over the stunt his nephew pulled the last time. He never said anything about it, but perhaps he’ll just give the other ring back to Amelie, where it belongs. He sighed as Nathalie pulled him into a hug with her free arm. 

“Just relax, tomorrow will go smoothly, I assure you.” She said calmingly. Even Adeline turned to give her papa a hug, pressing her face into his chest. He smiled at her. 

“I hope you’re right.” He mumbled. If it’s been anything with all the strange occurrences that happen at the most inconvenient of times, then he was almost certain something would occur tomorrow and throw a wrench in his ideas for a smooth and problem-free visit. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline meets Amelie and Felix for the very first time. Will their visit be smooth sailing, or will strange things happen while they're around?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Lorraine_B_Writing on AO3 (lorrainingart on discord) for pretty much inspiring this chapter, with the idea of Addy meeting Amelie and Felix!

As the hour to Amelie’s arrival drew near, Gabriel dreaded the visit more and more. Emilie would usually ease the tension between her sister and him- and the last time Amelie visited when it was just him, Adrien and Nathalie, it ended poorly, to say the very least. His nephew stole one of the twin rings, right off his finger. Now that there’s quite a drastic change in the family dynamic around the house… he’s curious to see how Amelie takes it. He’s hoping that Adrien will make things less awkward and tense, despite his tensions with his cousin. Adrien still couldn’t believe or understand why Felix would do what he did to his friends. Hopefully they could make up- after all, they were family, and two peas in a pod as kids. Adrien was called for by Nathalie to come downstairs, as Amelie and Felix were to arrive any minute. He stood next to his father, and looked at him. Adrien noticed the rather sullen look on his father’s face as he was holding Adeline to him. 

“Father… are you okay?” Adrien asked as he looked to Gabriel. But there was no response. Gabriel seemed to be preoccupied trying to make sure that Adeline was calm and happy in his arms. Adrien asked again, “Father…?” 

Gabriel sighed softly, seeming to finally have gathered his thoughts. “I will be soon, Adrien. Don’t worry about me.” 

Adrien would worry though- he was feeling a bit uneasy about this visit- but it was time for the Agreste men to confront their worries head on- Amelie and Felix were here. Nathalie opened the door, as the two figures stood in the entrance way. Adeline immediately began to stare at the woman in awe- her outline looked very familiar. It looked just like one of her favorite people to see- but without the wings, and wearing black. Perhaps the wings were hidden under her suit? The woman and her child walked inside, and the familiar woman was coming closer to her and her dad. 

“Gabriel, it’s so nice to see you and Adrien again! Thank you for allowing us to visit you two.” Amelie said, smiling warmly to him, but not before looking at the young girl, with her dark brown hair tied back into little pigtails and dressed in lilac clinging to him. She offered a hand to the child. “And who’s this adorable little one?” 

He had hoped she wouldn’t have noticed, but wishful thinking anyone wouldn’t notice a new child. “And you as well, Amelie. This is my daughter, Adeline.” He said, as he looked at his daughter, “can you say hello?” He asked her. His question was met with silence, not because she was scared, but rather overcome with shock and awe- though she did place her tiny hand on the other woman’s. The touch felt familiar, too- she was convinced that this was Emilie.

“Not much of a talker, I see… She’s already taking after you.” Amelie said with a small laugh. “I didn’t know you wanted to adopt- where is she from? It doesn’t seem like something you’d consider.” 

“She’s adopted from nowhere… because she’s not adopted at all.” That assumption was certainly unexpected- he raised a brow at her. 

“Oh? Well, then, who’s the mother?” 

Gabriel looked over to Nathalie, as she walked over and joined him by his side. “That would be me.” Amelie was a bit shocked- she recognized Nathalie as Gabriel’s assistant. After that piece of information had been dropped, the three adults stared awkwardly at each other for a moment. Amelie caught a quick glimpse of their hands- wearing wedding bands- different from the twin rings of the Graham de Vanily family. 

“...So, you married your assistant? How long ago?” 

“Yes, we are married. About six months. It would have been sooner, but a certain someone threw a wrench in our plans…” Gabriel muttered. More awkward silence followed.

“Emlie?” Adeline asked, as she looked up at Amelie with a smile, and Amelie couldn’t help but return it. Adeline then began to reach out to her, almost asking to be held by the other woman.

Amelie reaches her hands out to her and then looks to Gabriel and Nathalie. She then smiles. “Well, I’m happy for you two. Would you mind if I held your beautiful daughter?” The parents looked at each other, and then to Adeline. 

“Go ahead.” Gabriel said, hesitantly handing his daughter over to Amelie. Adeline immediately snuggled into Amelie’s shoulder, which got a smile out of all three adults. As she did this, though, something felt off. Amelie felt warm and quite alive- while Emilie felt much cooler. While the scent of the other woman’s perfume was quite lovely, it wasn’t what Emilie had. And where were her wings? Not visible to what she could see. Adeline was starting to have second doubts- this was close, but not quite what her best friend was. They looked exactly alike, but they felt different. Almost as if Amelie was too lively for her. Her mind became overwhelmed with thoughts and senses she wasn’t familiar with. She began to look distressed, and began to whine while trying to reach towards Gabriel- her blue eyes were filling with tears. Amelie immediately handed over the toddler to Gabriel. 

Gabriel responded by holding Adeline close to him. “I apologize, Amelie, she’s not usually like this. She’s usually vocal and happy to meet new people.” 

The toddler immediately rests herself against his shoulder, a tiny hand grabbing a fistful of his suit jacket. At least she knew that this was her papa. The feel of cashmere in her grip, the gentle scent of his cologne, the sound of his voice and the soothing way he was rubbing her back made her feel better, even as she cried and whined pitifully.

“Oh, that’s quite alright. You know how toddlers can be sometimes…” Amelie said, taking Adeline’s cries and whimpers with a grain of salt. She looked over to see her son and her nephew talking- or were they arguing? Their conversation seemed to be tense. Adrien was upset as he was telling Felix just how he felt.

“Felix, why would you do something like that? I could have lost all my friends because of your little prank. I love you, but I don’t love what you did. You made my friends angry, put yourself, Nathalie, your mom and my dad in danger when Hawkmoth sent out his akumas… what was—“ Adrien was getting visibly upset, but was cut off when Felix had given him a hug. Felix knew he did something bad, but he didn’t expect Adrien to care so much- though he shouldn’t have been surprised- Adrien was always the far more emotional one of the duo. 

“I… I’m sorry.” Felix finally said. Adrien was shocked- Felix never verbally apologized about anything. It was almost like the boy never knew what that meant- or never needed to. Adrien hugged his cousin back. 

“It’s okay, Felix, I forgive you. Just… don’t do it again.” Adrien said with a small smile, despite being unsure if his cousin’s apology was sincere or not. Gabriel began to walk toward the front door, with Nathalie and Amelie. It was time for them to head to the cemetery. 

“Come on boys, it’s time to go.” Amelie said, as she stepped out of the house, with Felix and Adrien following behind her. Since there were so many of them, Gabriel had opted to use the limousine- which they rarely use nowadays. They all got in, and soon were on their way. Adrien was feeling a little uneasy at the whole situation, sitting nicely with his hands folded in his lap. Sitting across from him, he saw his sister, who was casually sitting in Gabriel’s lap. She looked rather bored, staring blankly at the ceiling of the car. Her brother was signaling for her attention and so she looked to him- but she was confused. She saw Felix and Adrien next to each other… When were there two Adriens? But why is one of them named Felix, and why did he look so scary? Her lower lip quivered before she burst into tears- startling everyone in the vicinity. 

Gabriel sighed as he tried to console Adeline through her sudden outburst of tears. “What’s gotten into you today? You’re acting very moody.” 

“She’s probably tired- or frustrated with being cooped up.” Nathalie muttered as her fingers combed through her daughter’s hair. “Calm down, baby… we’re almost there, and then you can run around.” She said, while trying to shush her- and it was working. Adeline’s tears slowed, and then stopped- though she was still sniveling, looking up at Gabriel. He sighed softly as he dabs her eyes with the sleeve of his suit- she already soaked it with her tears, so he figured this wasn’t a big deal. After an agonizing remaining five minutes of the car ride, they pulled into a rather small cemetery, towards the edge of Paris. The limousine entered the wrought iron gates of entry, and drove towards a secluded area in the back. Almost at the edge of the cemetery, the car stopped, and a door was opened for them. They all filed out, and Adeline was happy to be on the ground. She looked around at her surroundings- lots of headstones- most of them as tall, and even taller than her. They shone in the sun, when it was out. Even when the patches of clouds rolled in, she could see her reflection in the sunny marble. From a distance, she could see Emilie- the real Emilie. Adeline bolted to her, while the grown-ups had their backs turned. 

“Adeline, stop!” Nathalie called for her child. Adeline stopped… but only for about two seconds, before she kept running anyway. Nathalie began running after the child, while the rest of the group walked behind her. As Adeline approached Emilie, she began to slow her running, as she sat down in the grass- right in front of Emilie’s headstone. The child felt a soft hand on her head, patting her head gently. 

Emile sat down on the top of her headstone as Adeline looked up to her. “Welcome to my resting place. It’s absolutely lovely. Gabriel and Amelie did a wonderful job, and together for once…” Adeline smiled, but turned her head as she heard Nathalie trying to catch her breath. It was evident by the glare that Nathalie was not happy. 

“Young lady, you’re lucky that you… ran to the right place. You do  _ not _ run off like that without me, your father, or your brother.” Nathalie said firmly in an attempt to hide her surprise as she stood next to her daughter. The rest of the group finally caught up, and all were surprised that a small child beat them- one that should have no clue as to where Emilie was laid to rest. Adeline notices that Adrien seems a bit crestfallen. She stood herself up, wobbling a little as she toddles over to him. Her little arms wrapped around his leg as she looked up at him. 

“Adri mama there.” Adeline tells him, pointing directly in front of her. Everyone was very surprised with the words that came out of her mouth, and she wasn’t sure why. Did she do something wrong again? She remembered that Emilie said that she was Adrien’s mama… so why not let him know that she was there? He could see her… right? 

Adrien smiled a little as he looked down at her and put a hand on her head. “Yeag, that is my mama.” He praised her, trying not to feel too hurt- she was a toddler, she had no idea that sometimes words can hurt. But he wondered how she knew that was his mom. He can’t recall ever talking to her about what happened. Gabriel, on the other hand, was displeased with what his child said, and just as he was about to reprimand her, Nathalie grabbed his hand. 

“Gabriel, she’s 18 months old. She has no idea what she’s saying, calm down, okay?” Nathalie whispered to him harshly. He sighed, and then nodded. Amelie was feeling a little awkward at the current moment- so she decided to question Gabriel about Adeline and what they’ve told her about Emilie. While the adults were conversing with each other, Adeline looked to Emilie, and then looked around. There were so many flowers around. Perhaps she can give her friend a flower! She listened to Gabriel complaining about how they forgot to buy flowers and that there was no time to stop and get some. She slowly slipped away from Adrien’s side, silently making her way over to a neighboring plot. There was something about the multicolored rose arrangement that she saw that caught her eye- pink, red- white and yellow. Carelessly, she reached to grab a handful- however she seemed to have pricked her fingers and palm on the thorns of the flowers. It stung a little and she whined as she felt her flesh being pricked- but that didn’t stop her. She grabbed as many roses as she could, which was about six, and began to walk back to her parents. 

When she returned, no one seemed to have noticed she was even gone- but looked in horror as Adeline held up flowers, with drops of blood on the skirt her dress and running down her hand and arm. She turned to hand the flowers to Emilie, with a smile on her face. Emilie smiled at the gesture, but noticed the girl’s dress had blood stains on it. 

“Adeline, those are lovely… but perhaps put those down, in front of the headstone…” Emilie suggested. Adeline nodded, dropping the roses onto the ground. Adeline found herself being scooped up by Nathalie, who grabbed her bloody hand and looked at it. 

“Jesus, what did you do? Does someone have a rag?” Nathalie asked, her fingers now getting covered in blood.

“Uh, I think she may have stolen those from over there…” Adrien pointed his thumb towards the grave, with a half-empty vase of flowers. Gabriel sighed as he pulled his ascot free from his collar, and tied it around around his daughter’s hand. He tilted her head up so she was looking at him. 

“Now, mon papillon, this is why you don’t steal things from others- bad things can happen to you, like this. Do you promise not to steal again?” He asks her, a stern look in his eyes. 

Adeline nodded, gazing to her hand, the smallest amount of blood seeping through the makeshift bandage. Amelie was looking over at the roses scattered in front of the tombstone- and she knelt down, deciding to arrange the flowers, bloodied stems and all, nicely. They doubted that whoever placed them would want them back, now covered in blood. The family decided it was probably best to leave. Nathalie suggested that they give Amelie and Felix some time alone- so the Agrestes let their guests have some alone time. Amelie was knelt down in the grass, staring vacantly at her twin’s headstone. Even after all this time, it still hurt her to know that she was gone. Felix watched, couldn’t help but feeling sorry for his mother. He knew how close they were. Emile was also watching. 

“Don’t be sad, my dear sister,” Emilie spoke, knowing very well Amelie wouldn’t be able to hear her, “I miss you more than you know- but take this. I’ll be with you until we meet again.” Emilie said, plucking a feather from her wings, and sending it past the spiritual realm. The white feather, shimmery in the sunlight, drifted down onto Amelie’s lap. The mother and son watched in awe. 

“Mother, where did that come from?” Felix asks. 

“I… I’m not sure, Felix. You didn’t see any birds, did you?” He simply shook his head in response. It dawned on her… “Perhaps it was a sign, from Aunt Emilie.” She looks at her son, with a small smile. He seemed to concur, nodding in agreement. A small smile spread across his lips as he looked to see that the Agrestes were waiting for them in the limo. 

“I think we should go now.” He said gently. She nods, as she stands to her feet. They began to walk back- and the feather was unlike anything she, or Felix, had ever seen before. As they got in the limo and began to head back to the Agreste mansion, Amelie began to talk about the feather- holding it up. Gabriel and Nathalie were flabbergasted- it looked identical to the feather that Gabriel found by Adeline’s crib when she was much smaller, and the one at Notre Dame, during her baptism. Something was going on, and he was determined to figure it out. He may need some outside assistance, however. 

Once they returned to the mansion, everyone was hungry- so lunch was prepared, while Nathalie went upstairs to clean Adeline’s wound, and change her clothes. As they were sitting at the table, Gabriel stood from his chair. “Excuse me for a moment, I need to make an important phone call.” He said, as he exited the dining area. He passed Nathalie, holding Adeline in her arms. She was properly bandaged and now wearing lilac polka dot leggings and a white shirt. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Nathalie asks him as he heads towards the atelier. 

“Making a phone call. It shouldn’t take long, I’ll be there momentarily.” He pushed the door open, and pulled out his cellphone. She shook her head, but abided by his request anyway. He closed the door as he entered the room. He had been searching up child psychologists on the ride back- hoping that maybe they would be able to tap into his daughter’s mind. He tapped the number he had displayed on his screen. As he waited for an answer, he looked around the room. “Hello, I would like to make an appointment for my daughter, Adeline Agreste.” 

He paused, and sighed softly. “In two weeks? That sounds doable.” Another pause, and he nodded. 

“Alright, so Friday, two weeks from now, at 10:45 am? Thank you, I’ll make note of that. Have a nice day.” He hung up, and tucked the device back into his pocket. As he exited to rejoin the family for lunch, he prayed that this would give them some insight. He swore he may begin to go mad if he didn’t get an explanation, and fast. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline visits a child psychologist- will that uncover the full truth about what's been going on? Will Gabriel feel more relieved or more confused?

Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose, after Gabriel explained to his wife what phone call he made, after their guests left. She thought they went over this and it was made very clear- whatever Adeline was experiencing was totally normal for her age. As she removed her fingers from her nose, she glared at him. “Seriously Gabriel? I thought we went over this… Adeline is fine- she’s too young to get any benefit, don’t you think?” 

“Nonsense, Nathalie. She can benefit in her mental development from this.” He tried to sound as factual as he could- as he was only doing this to soothe his paranoia. She cocked an eyebrow at him. It was quite evident she didn’t fully buy his reasoning, but she went along with it. 

“If you say so… Well, when her appointment occurs,  _ you’re _ taking her, and I’m staying here- it was your idea, and someone needs to stay here to conduct business as usual.” He pulled her into a hug and sighed softly. 

“What would I ever do without you in my life?” 

“Be a dysfunctional disaster, perhaps?” She teased him. She shifted her weight forward onto her toes, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. 

He kissed her in return, and then dryly laughed. “I think I still am. You make sure that I’m less so.” 

“Well, I’ll still love you, regardless how much of a disaster you think you are.” 

“And I’ll love you more either way.” 

After a quick smooch, the pair went their separate ways for now- Nathalie up the stairs, and Gabriel to the atelier. The rest of the day went on as normal- and so did the days following- well, for the most part. Leading up to that Friday appointment, Gabriel and Nathalie were extra observant of Adeline’s behavior- and though there was nothing too notable aside from the normal, Gabriel swore her eyes glowed a brighter blue a few times, but perhaps that was just the lighting she was in, so he shrugged it off as nothing. He didn’t even bring it up to Nathalie- she would probably just assume he was seeing things- even though he swears to himself that all of these signs and occurrences are very much real, and not figments of the imagination. 

Finally, it was Friday, and almost time to leave for the psychologist. Gabriel didn’t think this day could come any sooner. Of course, today was busy for the company, and he had to take his child to an appointment he made. Perhaps he should have waited, until he knew what this week would bring. As promised, though, he would be taking full responsibility for this. By this point, all members of the house were up, awake and already at work- well, he and Nathalie were. Adrien was away at his classes for the day, and Adeline was presently sitting on the floor next to Nathalie’s desk, playing with a quiet toy. Gabriel sighed, as he looked at the time- they better leave early- to fill out all the paperwork, in case of traffic, and other possible, unaccounted factors. He puts his computer to sleep before approaching Nathalie and Adeline. 

“It’s time to go, ma princesse.” He said as he bends over and picks up the girl, who was still holding her toy. He turns to Nathalie. “Hopefully this won’t be too long. I’ll try and hurry back.” 

She nodded, glancing up from her computer and pausing her typing. “No, I understand. Good luck, have fun.” She said, standing up to give him a quick peck on the lips, and then kissing Adeline on the forehead. 

Gabriel and Adeline exited, with the girl waving goodbye to her mom, for now. The car was already waiting for them out front, and Gabriel sat in the backseat alongside Adeline, making sure to strap her into her car seat. The Gorilla was given an address, which was plugged into the GPS, and on their way they went. Adeline was gazing out the window- there was so much to see outside. They passed by Tom and Sabine’s Patissiere and Boulangerie. Adeline saw this, and her little eyes widened. Marinette lived there- but also, delectable sweet treats were there. She reached over and lightly patted Gabriel’s arm to get his attention. 

“Yes?”

“Papa! Where Mari?” 

“Probably at school, mon papillon.” 

“See Mari?” 

“After we go see the doctor, and if you’re good. Will you be good?” 

Adeline nodded. She would try her hardest! Anything for a cookie is worth it. Gabriel affectionately stroked her hair, and she smiled as she continued to look out the window. He was always amazed at how young children found the smallest things to be fascinating- like looking outside while in a car, and taking in the sights around. Sure, she’s seen this stuff several times before, but it somehow always impresses her anyway. The car soon pulled into a large building, which looked almost like a hospital, and stopped at the entrance to the child psychiatric wing. Gabriel unbuckles all the various buckles to her carseat, and picks her up. They exit, and the Gorilla then drives away, for the time being. Gabriel would give him a call once it was time to return. 

“Would you like to walk, or do you want me to hold you?” 

She instinctively clings to him tighter. “Hol’me, Papa.”    
  


He chuckled a little, as the pair headed inside. She began to shiver- due to the strong air conditioning inside- he should have brought one of her little sweaters. As she shivered, he was holding her with both his arms now, in an attempt to warm her up. After walking down a long stretch of hallway, he found the office of Dr. Marie-Laure Landeau, the doctor he had spoken to two weeks prior. He opened the door, and proceeded over to the receptionist desk. The lady at the desk greeted him, before handing him a clipboard. He sits himself down, with Adeline on his lap, and begins to fill out all the first-time paperwork for her. She just sat on his lap, looking around the brightly colored room, and all the toys and books in the corner. Once completed, he placed her on the chair next to him and returned the clipboard to the desk. Much to his shock, Adeline sat perfectly still, as she stared at him. He felt slightly uneasy as he felt her little eyes intensely staring at him. 

After he sat down for a few minutes, a door opened- a young woman with ashy brown emerged, wearing a pink sweater, black dress pants and ballet flats. Her blue-green eyes had a sense of comfort and friendliness in them. She would help him, he just knew it. She approached them, holding a clipboard. “Hi, I’m Doctor Landeau. Pleased to meet you, Mister Agreste.” She smiled gently, extending a hand to Gabriel. He shook her hand. 

“A pleasure to meet you as well, Doctor.” He looked to Adeline, who was staring up at the lady before her. 

“And who are you?” Doctor Landeau asks, turning to Adeline with a smile and getting down on her level. Adeline turned to Gabriel, and tilted her head. 

“Tell her your name.” He told her. 

Adeline turned to look at the doctor now, “Adeline.” 

“Adeline… what a lovely name. Pleased to meet you.” She extended her hand to the child, and hesitantly, Adeline copied what she saw her papa do with many people- and shook it gently. “Are you ready to go talk to me?” 

Adeline nodded, as she was helped out of her seat. Doctor Landeau began to walk back, with the small girl following her. She looked back at Gabriel, who just nodded at her to go ahead. Adeline resumed following the doctor, into a room. Like the waiting room, this one was brightly colored- and it even had a small table and chair for her to sit in. Doctor Landeau encouraged Adeline to sit down at the table, while she sat down in her large chair across from her. 

“Alright Adeline… so, your papa has told me that you have a friend, right? Well, can you tell me what her name is?” 

Adeline smiled. “Emlie!” She said, pointing to the space right next to her. That’s usually where she would find Emilie- right by her side. Doctor Landeau raised a brow as she began to write something down- she believed that Adeline was a little young to make up a friend that’s imaginary. She had deduced that perhaps this child  _ was _ seeing something. She had initially didn’t think much of Mister Agreste’s call, but now her curiosity piqued. 

“Emilie is her name? Well, can you tell me what she looks like?”

Adeline just stared at her blankly. Marie-Laure realized her error and why there was a lack of a response- the child was only about 19 months old- her vocabulary wasn’t equipped with enough words to describe how a person looks! She’d have to take a more creative approach to this. Thankfully, she always kept a box of toddler crayons handy. She stood herself up, and walked to a short set of plastic shelving and opened the top drawer. From the drawer, she pulled out a box of crayons- extra wide, for tiny hands like Adeline’s to use appropriately. Approaching the child, she placed a sheet of paper in front of her, and presented her with the box of crayons. Adeline picked up the box of crayons and turned it upside down to try and get them out- before trying to shake the box. Doctor Landeau stepped in and opened the box for her properly, and handed them back to Adeline. 

“Have you ever drawn a picture before, sweetheart?” 

Adeline shook her head. 

“Well… today, you’re going to. Can you try and draw me a picture of what your friend looks like?” 

With her left hand outstretched, Adeline hovered it over the selection of colors in front of her. There were so many to choose from- but she didn’t know which color to begin with! She chose the black one, and grabbed it in her fist. She looked to Doctor Landeau, who nodded at her to go and draw- but Adeline wasn’t sure where to begin. She decided maybe she should draw her body- so she tried her best to do that. It was a little hard to judge what she really looked like, because her garments were so loose on her body and flowed gracefully with each move she made. Once she had finished drawing in the body, she put a vaguely round shape on top of the body. She dropped the black crayon, to pick up the grey one- she couldn’t forget to add in the wings. Her tiny brain wasn’t sure how to draw them- so she just scribbled across the page, behind the body, and overlapped through it, too. The yellow crayon was the finishing touch she needed- and so she picked that up. 

As Marie-Laure observed the child drawing, she began to try and put the pieces together of what she may be depicting. While watching Adeline drawing in some yellow hair on top of the ambiguously shaped figure, she was taken aback when she saw the child’s eyes glowing- quite literally. It was only for a moment, but a light blue glow illuminated the paper. Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was positive that she actually saw that. She noted that down as well, as Adeline had wrapped up her drawing, and dropped the crayon. Marie-Laure was met with another blank stare from the toddler. 

“All done?” She then asked. 

“All done.” Adeline replied. 

“May I see your drawing?” Doctor Landeau asked. Adeline pulled the piece of paper out from under all the crayons, which then rolled off the small table and onto the ground. She took the drawing and began to observe. “Adeline, can you pick up the crayons for me, please?” 

Adeline nodded again, as she stood up from the chair and began to pick up the crayons, one by one, and accumulate them in her fists. As Doctor Landeau observed the drawing, she was surprised that she could at least distinguish some aspects of it clearly- the yellow marks above what she presumed was a woman’s head looked interesting. The grey scribbles behind the woman’s body were interesting, to say the least. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that Adeline’s been seeing an angel. Young kids are known to see the paranormal, so perhaps that’s what’s been going on. However, Adeline was simply too young to really look further into at the moment. However, the doctor knew she must have had her back when she’s older- it seemed like quite the fascinating case. Writing down some last minute notes for Adeline’s file, she looked over and saw that Adeline had neatly put the crayons back into the box. 

“Papa?” Adeline asked Doctor Landeau. 

“We’re going to go see him just a second. You did very good today.” She said, as she stood up. In one hand, she held Adeline’s file and picture, and offered her other hand for the little girl. Adeline smiled, and grabbed her hand. They walked out to the waiting room, where Gabriel was sitting, looking at his phone. Adeline smiled, as her hand was freed, so she could go and hug him- which she did. Doctor Landeau approached, and gave Gabriel the rundown on what happened- the glowing eye occurrence, and how Adeline was a touch too young to see anything out of the ordinary. The adults agreed, and scheduled another appointment, about six months out. Gabriel was surprised that a medical professional pretty much confirmed what he saw, and even witnessed a case of glowing eyes for herself- he thought he was the only one. The doctor even made a photocopy of the drawing for him to take- as she wanted to keep the original for her own records. They were all set to leave. 

“Thank you again, Doctor, and we’ll see you again. Can you say goodbye, Adeline?” Gabriel prompted her, while holding her hand. 

Adeline waved. “Bye bye!” 

Doctor Landeau waved goodbye, as father and daughter left. They headed towards the parking lot, where the Gorilla was waiting for them patiently. Adeline looked up at Gabriel as she was toddling next to him while holding his hand. She pulled on his hand as they were standing in front of the door and waiting to be picked up. 

Her eyes went wide. “Papa, cookie?” 

He sighed softly- hoping she’d forget. A promise was a promise, though. “Yes, ma princesse, you can get a cookie. You were good, as you promised to be.” Adeline was very visibly excited, as their car pulled up in front of them. The door was opened for them, as Gabriel and Adeline got situated in the back seat. Gabriel instructed the Gorilla to make a stop at Tom and Sabine’s before returning home. Adeline was just waiting patiently- starting to become impatient the closer they got to the bakery, as she just stared at Gabriel. He looked back at her from his phone. “We’re almost there, I promise.” He said to her, as she was starting to swing her legs eagerly. He wasn’t kidding- a minute later, the car halted in front of the bakery. After going through the entire ordeal of removing her from her car seat, he put her down on the sidewalk. She immediately made a dash for the door- well, as fast as her little legs could carry her. 

“Adeline, wait--” He said, but not before she can run face first into the door. He began to laugh a little, as he ran over to pick her up. “Are you okay, ma petite?” 

“Addy okay, Papa.” Adeline said, with a smile. He brushed some hair from her forehead, kissing it gently as he entered the bakery. The scent of freshly baked cookies and pastries filled his senses- and he suddenly felt hungry. Adeline squirmed, wanting to get down and get a look at all the delectable treats herself. Gabriel set her down, and she walked towards the front of the store, much more cautious this time around. 

“Mister Agreste, Adeline, what a lovely surprise. What brings you by?” Sabine greeted them, a warm smile on her face. Gabriel smiled as well- Sabine’s kind nature was contagious. 

“Please, Gabriel’s just fine. I’m here to buy Adeline a cookie- she was so good at the doctor’s today, and I promised her that she can get a cookie after if she was.” He explained. Adeline looked up at Sabine and waved. Sabine waved back to one of her youngest, and favorite customers. 

“Where Mari?” Adeline asked Sabine. 

“Aw, I’m sorry Adeline, but Marinette’s not home right now. She should be home later, right Tom?” 

From the tray of cookies he was frosting, he looked up and nodded. “She said she’d be home sometime this evening. I’ll let her know you stopped by though, and maybe she’ll come and see you tomorrow?” 

“Yay, Mari!” Adeline cheered, as she kept gazing at all the cookies and pastries. She saw a very familiar pink cookie. She blinked, and her irises began to glow- light reflecting off the glass of the case as she looked at Sabine and Gabriel. A ring of bright light also appeared over her head. Gabriel had to pinch himself, just to make sure that he was fully conscious. Adeline pressed her finger to the glass- right where a tray of biscuit rose de Reims were. “That cookie.” 

“You want those?” Gabriel asked, slightly worried about Adeline’s new anomaly- the glowing eyes weren't what was throwing him off- it was the bright light just above the top of her head. 

Adeline simply nodded. “Favorite.” Sabine was concerned, as she was gathering a small box of the pink cookies. Tom caught wind of what was going on, and was more confused than anything. Gabriel was confused when she said the cookies she picked were her favorite- Adeline had never asked, or even tried those kinds of cookies- how could that be? Her eyes closed, and the light from her eyes and just above her head faded into nothingness. 

“Are you feeling okay, dear?” Sabine asked the girl hesitantly. 

“Addy okay.” Adeline replied as she looked at the croissants- she knew that her big brother would appreciate it, and pressed the finger to the glass again. “Adri?” 

“You want to get Adrien a croissant for when he comes home?” Gabriel asked, going into his wallet to retrieve money. Sabine placed a croissant in the box as well. 

“Yes Papa.” 

Gabriel walked to the counter, as Sabine tied the box up nicely with a bow. He handed her a 10 euro bill- and she gave him the appropriate change. After putting his change away, he collected Adeline’s hand in his, while holding the baked goods in the other. “Thank you very much, Sabine and Tom. Have a nice day.” He said, as Adeline turned and waved goodbye to them. The Agrestes left the bakery, and got back into the car. On the remaining part of the car ride, Gabriel kept looking at Adeline, just to make sure that she was fine. She didn’t seem to be in any pain or scared about what just happened to her, so he figured that she was probably just fine. As they pulled up to the front door of the Agreste mansion, Gabriel got her out of her carseat, and held her in one arm, and the cookies and photocopy of her art in the other. The car door was opened for them, as he stepped out, and walked towards the door of the mansion. He sets Adeline down next to him, as Nathalie opens the door for them. 

“Welcome home you two.” Nathalie greeted them, as she shut the door behind them. Gabriel leaned in to give his wife a quick kiss. “Are those cookies? Can I have one?” 

Gabriel nodded, as he unwrapped the box. Adeline reached her hands up, making grabby hands for a cookie. He opened the box and pulled out a cookie, as Nathalie grabbed one for herself. “How do you ask for something you want?” 

“Pweese?” Adeline asked as she stopped making eager grabby hands. 

“Perfect. Here you go.” He smiled a little, as he handed her the cookie. 

“Thank.” She said, happily biting into the pink-colored treat. As she chewed, her eyes glowed the same blue color it did in the bakery- but it was much briefer. These cookies really were delicious- just as she remembered in her past vision. Meanwhile, Gabriel showed Nathalie their daughter’s first of many masterpieces- but then Nathalie got a glimpse of the time. Adeline’s nap was going to be happening soon, and after eating that cookie, it was important that they tried to wind her down early. She and Gabriel would discuss the artwork once she was in bed. Nathalie handed the drawing back to Gabriel, and then went to pick up Adeline. The young girl had just finished up the last bite of her cookie, as her tiny arms wrapped around Nathalie. 

“It’s almost time for your nap, young lady…” Nathalie murmured softly to her daughter. As they were heading up the stairs, Adeline’s eyes began to glow once again- through the opened door of the atelier, and through her blue-clouded vision, she spotted a familiar shape from a distant past vision- it was that magical brooch… she could finally meet Duusu! 

After her nap, she was going to try and grab that jewel- and won’t stop until she can get her hands on it. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline, Marinette and Adrien have a nice day at the park... but the day ends with Adrien realizing his sister may know more than she appears...

An emergency business trip came up that Gabriel and Nathalie were forced to go to. It was only for four days, but to Adrien that was far too long. He was tasked at taking care of Adeline again, and he still wasn’t over that night terror she had those months ago. He wasn’t sure if his heart could handle another one. Well, last night went smoothly, and he slept surprisingly well for being a paranoid disaster after he put her down. Of course the Gorilla was here to help, but Adrien wanted to show that he definitely can care for a small human with minimal assistance. Despite Adrien being a young adult, Gabriel still called everyday- just to check in on them. Thankfully, his interrogation was not as harsh as the last time- and Adrien actually enjoyed talking to his father rather than dreaded it. It was still rather early in the morning, so Adrien hadn’t gotten his daily phone call yet. Presently, he was sitting in Adeline’s room with her. They had just eaten breakfast and he had just changed her into actual clothes. He stared at his phone screen, and then to his sister, who was sitting on the floor and playing with her tiny toy piano. She was smashing her keys with her hand and giggling. He thought that she had the makings of a great pianist one day. 

He looked out the window to see the sun shining, and not a cloud in the sky. The two of them were going to go out and do something fun. The weather forecast also said it was supposed to be nice- not too warm, not too cold. He had made the decision that they were going to the park, but he didn’t want to go by himself. He thought about who he could bring with him- well, he noticed that Adeline really enjoyed Marinette’s company- and maybe he could see the rest of his friends while they were out. Adrien swiped up on his phone, selected Marinette’s contact, and dialed her. He drummed his fingers on the floor, where he sat. 

“Hello?” Her voice spoke through the speaker. 

“Hey Marinette! How are you?”

“I’m great, thanks! How are you?” 

“I’m fine. Listen, do you want to come to the park with me and Adeline? I don’t want to go by myself. I want to do something I’ve always wanted to do.” 

“Sure, I’d love to! And what’s that?” 

“Play on the playground equipment!” He grinned. She was shocked- though she really shouldn’t have been. She knew he was sheltered but didn’t quite realize just how sheltered. 

“You… never played on the playground? Not even the slide or the swings?” 

“No, my mother thought it was a safety hazard and that I’d fall and break a bone, or worse...” 

“Oh… well, I’d still love to go! I’ll bring you and Adeline some croissants. I know you two are big fans.” Marinette said with a giggle. 

Adrien smiled. “You’re the best, Marinette. Come on over when you’re ready.” 

“Got it. See you soon!” She said, as she hung up. He put his phone down next to him. He pulled himself to his feet as he was in search of her diaper bag. 

“Adeline, we’re going to go and do something fun, we just have to wait for our special guest.” 

She had stopped playing her toy piano and turned her head to look at him. “Papa?” 

He chuckled a little as he picked up the lilac colored backpack, making sure there were some spare diapers, wipes and clothes, just in case. Marinette had the snacks covered today. “No, Papa’s not home right now, remember?” 

She frowned a little, as she missed her papa. “Mama?” 

“Mama’s with Papa, remember?” 

Now Adeline had to think- if Mama and Papa were away, then who would be coming with them? “Mari?” 

“That’s right! Marinette will be here very soon.” He said, as he slung the lilac covered bag over his shoulder. Adeline smiled wide- Marinette was Adrien’s really nice and pretty friend, so this was a good surprise indeed! She stood up and walked to Adrien, who took a hold of her hand. They exited her room, and headed downstairs. After informing Gorilla of where they were going and what time they’d be back, they exited the house. Waiting at the gate of the Agreste mansion was Marinette. Adeline broke free from Adrien’s hand and started running as fast as her little legs could carry her. 

“Mari! Hol’me?” Adeline yelled for Marinette, with a smile on her face. She tried to reach for Marinette through the iron bars. Adrien finally caught up, as he opened up one side of the gate. 

The older girl got down on one knee and smiled. “Hello Adeline! Of course I’ll hold you.” Her arms opened up, to receive the small girl. Adeline ran through the gate, and right into Marinette’s arms. Adeline held onto her as she was lifted off the ground, smooshing her cheek to Marinette’s. Adrien couldn’t help but smile, stepping past the gate and closing it behind him. It was adorable to see his little sister and his girlfriend being so cute. He goes to give Marinette a hug as well. 

“Glad you can join us, m’lady.” Adrien finally said, pressing a gentle kiss to Marinette’s temple. 

Marinette blushed faintly as her gaze looked up at him. “Thanks for inviting me, Kitty. Say, how’s Adeline feeling? My mom and dad said when she and your dad were in the bakery, her eyes started glowing!” 

“Wait… what? Um, yeah, she’s fine. No glowing eyes that I’ve noticed. ” Adrien was lost- this was the first time he heard anything about this. He’d have to ask his father later… 

“That’s good. Addy, are you ready to go to the park?” Marinette asked her. Adeline looks at Marinette and grins. 

“Yeah! Play!” 

“That’s right. You’re going to have a lot of fun.” Marinette said, as she looked at Adrien

They began to head to the park, which was only about a 10 minute walk. Halfway there, Adeline decided she wanted to walk, so Marinette placed her down on the sidewalk- Adrien holding her right hand, and Marinette holding her left. The two older kids exchanged smiles at each other, as the three of them kept walking. There may have been some people staring at them- Adeline could pass as their child, and Marinette and Adrien were fairly young looking for their age. They ignored some of the judgemental looks they were getting, as they arrived at the park- and from a distance, Adrien and Adeline spotted the playground, both of them getting eager. There were two more children already there- slightly older than Adeline. 

As they walked to a bench and sat down, Adeline looked at Adrien and Marinette, and then to the play structure- equipped with lots of slides, bridges, tubes and poles. There were also swings off to the side. “Play?” Adeline asked, as she pointed to it.

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, you can go ahead. Marinette and I will be right here and watching you.” 

“Adri come.” She then said as she looked up at him. 

Marinette and Adrien looked at each other, and then back to her. “Adeline, I’m too big to be up there…” Adrien said. Adeline responded by giving him her best pouty face- a tactic she used as a last resort. 

“Pweeeeeese?” 

Adrien then smiled a little as he stood up. “Alright, alright… I’ll go with you. Marinette, you don’t mind, right?” 

“No, I don’t mind- you two go have fun.” Marinette said with a small smile. She was definitely going to be taking pictures of this, and sending this to Alya. Adrien smiled, as he and Adeline took off to the play structure. She was so excited- she hardly knew where to start! With a bit of encouragement, she climbed up the rockwall, before smiling and running across the bridge. Adrien was behind her, looking a little oversized for the play structure. He noticed Marinette was taking pictures of this situation- and used it to his advantage. He was posing for the camera, and Marinette was laughing as she kept taking pictures. While they were doing that, Adeline made her way over to the slide. She looked down- and boy, it was a long way down. She was starting to get a little scared. Emilie could sense this- and she decided to lend the toddler a bit of encouragement.

“Go on, Adeline, you can do it.” Emilie said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Adeline blinked as she looked to Emilie, and then down the slide. 

“Addy go.” Adeline said, as she sat down at the top of the slide. She took a deep breath, and pushed herself down. It was a pretty steep slide for such a tiny girl. Once she reached the bottom, she went flying off. Emilie panicked- and went to go intervene. She flew from the top of the slide, down to the end- just before Adeline could fall. Marinette was witness to this- surprised that Adeline’s fall was broken by seemingly nothing. Marinette got up from the bench and walked over to her. 

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked her. Adeline nodded, as she was helped to her feet. 

“Croissan’?” 

“You want a croissant now?” 

Adeline nodded, as she followed Marinette back towards the bench. From her bag, Marinette retrieved a croissant, and handed it to Adeline. 

“Thank!” Adeline said, before promptly beginning to chow down. Marinette giggled, as she pats the girl’s head as she tore into the croissant. 

“You’re welcome, Addy…” Marinette said, as she looked to see Adrien, still having the time of his life on the playground equipment by himself- and even sliding down the slide before going to the swings. Marinette was casually flipping through the photos she took of Adrien acting silly, trying to select some to send to Alya and Nino. She found one where Adeline had gotten into her shot. Something caught her off guard- an bizarre, out of place bright spot next to the toddler- and Adeline was looking up right at it. Marinette held her hand to defend her screen from the sunlight, to get a better look. She was shocked- again, she swore she made out a faint figure within the light. 

She needed to show Adrien. “Adrien! Come here, now!” She sounded slightly panicked. Adrien saw the slight panic and immediately jumped off the swing, and bolted across the playground.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” He asked as he sat down on her left. Adeline was confused, but still eating her croissant- and getting flakes of the pastry in the skirt of her dress. 

“It’s back…” Marinette said, jabbing a finger right at her phone screen. 

“Uh… what’s back, exactly?” 

“The mysterious light.” Marinette mumbled. Adrien got a closer look, and his eyes went wide. Okay, something was up, because Adeline was intently looking up at seemingly nothing, and smiling. The evidence was damning that his little sister was truly seeing someone and it was a bit terrifying. 

“Are you starting to think that Alya’s right now, or is that just me?” Adrien asked, unable to believe his eyes currently. 

“No, it’s not just you. She has plenty of evidence to back up her point… and it all matches up. I’ll ask Alya about it later.” Marinette said, as she looked to Adeline- the skirt of her dress covered with flakes of croissant. Adrien walked over to her and started to brush the pastry flakes off of her. 

“That’s true… Let me know how that goes.” Adrien turned his head to Marinette, before looking back at Adeline, sufficiently crumb free now. “Addy, do you want to go on the swings?” 

Adeline nodded as she slid off the bench. “Yes!” 

“Wanna come with us, Marinette?” 

Marinette smiled as she stood up, giggling softly. “Sure.” The trio headed over to the swingset. Adrien and Marinette took turns pushing Adeline, and enjoying some time on the swings themselves. Adeline was having the best time, though. She’d probably be asking to come here more often just for the swings. After they spent about an hour just on the swings, Adeline was getting tired- so they decided it was time to go. On the walk home, Adrien carried his sister in one arm, while eating his croissant with the other. He was thankful that Marinette decided to join them- she always brightened his day, and made him less scared of bizarre things that may happen in the future. He believed that wherever Adeline was seeing- wasn’t out to hurt her, or their family, which made him feel better. As they arrived at the Agreste Mansion, Marinette and Adrien gave each other a quick kiss. The gate opened for him and Adeline. 

“Can you say bye bye to Marinette?” Adrien asked Adeline softly. 

“Bye bye…” Adeline said quietly, yawning as she pressed her face into Adrien’s shoulder. Marinette smiled as she turned to return home, and Adrien to head inside. After greeting the Gorilla, Adrien immediately took Adeline upstairs and got her ready for a nap. Once she was successfully asleep in her crib, Adrien retreated into his room. He alternated between watching YouTube and sharing hilarious TikToks with Nino through text. While doing that, Alya was also messaging him- she must have gotten Marinette’s texts and pictures. They began to talk about what Marinette saw- and Alya’s suspicions only being confirmed. Adrien was agreeing with Alya- that something paranormal was going on. Alya was dead set on thinking it was Adrien’s mother- but Adrien didn’t buy it. Why would his mother want anything to do with a child that wasn’t hers? Though, he supposed it would make sense- his mother loved children, so why wouldn’t she love Adeline? Things were starting to click, piece by piece- but before he had time to fully process his thoughts and assemble the pieces, Adeline woke up. He went into her room to get her out of her crib. 

Adrien spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her, messaging Alya, Nino, Marinette and even Kagami, feeding himself and her lunch, and then dinner when needed. It was later into the evening now, and Adrien had just finished dressing Adeline in her pajamas for bed. Adeline then looked up at Adrien, with big eyes- she looked rather sad. 

“Papa…?” She whined. 

Adrien sighed softly as he got down on his knee. “Papa’s not home, Addy… he and Mama are busy at work.” 

Poor Adeline looked like her heart just got broken. She sniffled as she began to cry. “Papa…” 

Oh god, oh god. Okay, Adrien quickly grabbed his phone. “Addy, it’s going to be okay… let’s give him a call.” He panic dialed Gabriel and quickly sat down, encouraging Adeline to sit on his lap. Gabriel heard his phone ringing- Adrien requesting a video chat. He picked it up, and frowned a little upon seeing his exasperated son and upset daughter. 

“Adrien, is everything okay?” 

“Well, it was, until Adeline became sad. She missed you.” Adeline looked at Adrien’s phone, still crying pitifully. Gabriel frowned as well. 

“Ma princesse, don’t cry… it’s okay.” Gabriel said. Hearing his voice, Adeline began to calm down. She looked at him with big, watery eyes. 

“Papa… Love you.” Adeline hiccuped, as she gripped Adrien’s shirt. 

“I love you too… but you have to be a good girl for Adrien while your mother and I are gone, okay? I know you can.” 

Adeline wiped her eyes with Adrien’s shirt. “Okay Papa.” 

Gabriel smiled. “Good… I hope your day was good otherwise, Adrien.” 

“It was, Father. Thank you.” 

“I’m going to let you go so that she can go to sleep. See you soon.” Gabriel said. After saying their goodbyes, Adrien hung up the phone, and stood up. He laid Adeline down in her crib, and tucked her in. She immediately reached for her favorite stuffed animal, her kitty, Chaton. She looked up at Adrien with sleepy eyes as she cuddled Chaton, and uttered one word. 

“Duusu?” 

Adrien was startled, flinching in shock. Ladybug had mentioned the other kwamis- and he could recognize Duusu as one of them. “What?” 

She asked again. “Duusu?” 

“Uh… I’m not really sure who that is… I’m sorry. Now, go to sleep, okay?” 

Adeline pouted, but then noticed something poking out of Adrien’s shirt. It was Plagg, who decided to show himself to the small child. She was surprised upon seeing the cat-like creature hovering above her. 

“Hey kid, what do you know about Duusu?” 

“Plagg!” 

“What? Obviously she knows something we don’t…” 

“She’s not even two yet, she probably doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Now leave her alone.” Adeline then snagged Plagg and gave him a hug. 

“Pagg!” She then said with a smile. Adrien giggled as Plagg looked desperate to be freed. 

“Addy, let him go… maybe he will want to sleep with you tonight?” Adrien asked and looked at Plagg. Adeline let him go, as Plagg breathed heavily. Plagg actually thought this baby cage looked pretty comfortable. He could give it a shot. 

“Eh… okay. Hope you don’t need me.” Plagg said, as he settled down onto the pillow next to Adeline’s head. He got comfy and closed his eyes. Adrien smiled. 

“Good night you two.” His voice was hushed, as he turned off the lights and closed the door quietly. He internally panicked as he returned to his room- how the heck does his sister know the name of a kwami, especially one that’s been lost for years? He began to text Marinette, because he had a feeling that there may be trouble in the near future if Adeline’s knowledge was true, and not nonsense toddler babbling.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel, Adrien and Nathalie get scared out of their wits.

Today was the day- Nathalie and Gabriel were coming home today from their trip. Adrien was pleased, and Adeline surely would be too, considering how much her little heart was aching for Papa and Mama recently. Hopefully, she would be in a much better mood with them around. She had been very irritable, grouchy and needing of constant cuddles pretty much all day. While it was adorable, it was also annoying because Adrien wanted to do other things as well. As Adrien was reading a book to Adeline, to keep her occupied, he faintly heard a car pulling onto the property. Just in time too, because the story was almost over, and he had run out of ways to keep her happy. Upon reading the closing words to the book, Adrien closed it, and looked down at Adeline with a smile. He heard the front door open. 

“Adeline, I think Mama and Papa are home… should we go see?” 

“Yeah! Mama Papa!” She sounded thrilled, as she squirmed on Adrien’s lap. He chuckled as he stood himself up, casting the book off to the side. They headed downstairs- sure enough, Gorilla was helping Gabriel and Nathalie with their bags. Adeline’s eyes lit up as she was squirming again, and Gabriel smiled warmly at them. 

“Hello Adrien, hello Adeline. It’s so nice to see both of my children.” Gabriel said, as Adrien approached. Adeline eagerly reached for her papa, and he happily grabbed her and gave her a tight hug.

“Papa!” She practically shouted, so excited to see him. She rested her head on his shoulder. Her tiny arms held onto him tightly, and Gabriel couldn’t help but smile. Adrien was never this excited to see him, even as a kid. 

“Bonjour, ma princess- I missed you.” He said as he patted her back gently. 

“Love you Papa.” Addy said. 

Nathalie smiled at the two of them, as she and Adrien hugged each other, and then Adrien hugging his father. They were catching up with each other, and what they did while they were away. While big brother, papa and mama were talking, Adeline was trying her hardest to see if she could see back to when Emilie last remembered having the brooch. She closed her eyes and focused, but she saw nothing- only faintly blurred memories of the brooch and Duusu. She was growing frustrated- she couldn’t see it. It boiled over, and she screamed- high pitched, and loudly. It reverberated in the foyer of the mansion, as Adrien and Nathalie covered their ears. Gabriel held her so that he could look at her face, sternly looking at her. What was her deal?

“Adeline…” He said calmly at first. She didn’t listen, and his patience began to wear thin, until he had to raise his voice. “ADELINE!” He shouted, his voice instantly overpowering her screaming. She stopped and her eyes opened, now filled with fear. Nathalie and Adrien even were staring at him. Gabriel didn’t mean to scare her- but it was too late, the damage was done. Adeline began to sniffle, before crying. Nathalie’s expression soured, and Adrien’s did as well, evident that they were disappointed in how he handled himself. Gabriel held Adeline close. “Ma princesse, I’m so sorry… but you can’t scream like that.” Adeline blinked at him, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at him. He stroked her hair, as he looked to Nathalie. She went into her carry on bag, and retrieved a stuffed animal that they bought for her on their trip. It was a stuffed peacock, and once Adeline caught sight of it, she grabbed it and immediately hugged it close to her. To her, the new stuffed animal kind of looked like Duusu! She pressed her face to her toy, nuzzling it gently. 

“Duusu…” The young girl uttered. Her utterance caused the other three to look at each other awkwardly, uncomfortably, and nervously. This was confirming Adrien’s suspicions, and causing Gabriel and Nathalie to realize- the youngest member of the family knows a lot more than she should. But who was telling her this information?

“I’m glad you like it, ma princesse… Can you forgive me for yelling at you? And can you not yell like that again?” Gabriel asked his daughter, his composure seemingly recovered. 

Adeline nodded. “Yes Papa.” She replied, happily hugging her peacock toy. To solidify that she had fully forgiven Papa, she gave his cheek a gentle kiss. Adrien and Nathalie were pleased once more, upon seeing Gabriel properly handle himself and administering rational discipline. 

Adrien had to tell Marinette- he believes that Adeline is a reincarnated version of the peacock miraculous holder! Maybe Adeline knows who Mayura is. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad you had a good time on your trip… but um, I have an assignment to do… I’ll see you guys at dinner!” Before he could get a reply, he was gone, hastily making a retreat to his room. Gabriel and Nathalie were slightly dumbfounded by Adrien’s sudden escape. Not bothering to take their luggage up to their room, they instead left their bags off to the side, to deal with later. They stepped into the atelier, closing the door behind them as they entered. Gabriel made his way to his podium, where his computer was, and Nathalie stood by his side. 

“You haven’t been telling our child about the miraculous, have you?” Gabriel asked his wife. 

Nathalie was a bit surprised at the question. “No… have you? Why would I tell her?” 

“She seems to know about your kwami.” 

“Well, you know more than me… so I just assumed it was you...”

Gabriel shook his head. Not even he would tell a toddler about something that could be dangerous. “Okay, so if it wasn’t you, and it wasn’t me… then who could possibly have told her?” 

Nathalie shrugged. “Perhaps the grimoire can give us an answer…” She walked toward the bookshelf, fingers running across all the spines of the books. Once locating the correct tome, she pulled it from the shelf, and returned back to him. 

Gabriel nodded, as he watched her retrieve the book and return to his side. He opened the tome, as they began to flip through it. Perhaps there was some sort of explanation about toddlers learning about miraculous magic. They’d perhaps believe reincarnation, if it was possible, according to the tome. While they were doing that, however, Adeline was contentedly playing with her new stuffed friend while being held. She knew that Duusu would be a great tea party guest! She couldn’t wait to introduce her to Chaton, and all of her other stuffed toys and dolls, and Miss Emilie. While they were still looking through that grimoire, Adeline accidentally jabbed her stuffed peacock into her father’s chest- but she hit some sort of lump. She was confused- she can’t recall any kind of lump ever being there. 

She kept jabbing the beak of her stuffed peacock into his chest, in an attempt to pin down the lump, which seems to be moving around. Adeline wondered if there was something living inside of her Papa’s clothes. Maybe it was a mouse, or a fairy, or a tiny little cat, like Plagg. She began to use her hand, running it along the suit jacket, eyes trying to track movement. Finally, she had enough. She shoved her arm into the jacket. Gabriel’s eyes went wide, startled by the sudden movement.

“Excuse me Adeline, what do you think you’re doing?” Gabriel asked, as Nathalie’s gaze shifted over to witness what was going on. He got no response, as Adeline kept rummaging around in his jacket. Finally, she caught something in her tiny fist, whatever she grabbed emitting a faint squeak. She pulled her arm out of his jacket and pulled out a purple creature, resembling a butterfly. He stared at her, slightly terrified the small human would try and hurt him, or eat him. Gabriel was stunned. 

“Duusu? Pagg?” She asked the butterfly kwami. He did look a lot like them. Once seeing that she wasn’t going to hurt him, Nooroo calmed down. 

“No, I’m not Duusu or Plagg… I’m Nooroo.” He replied to the little girl. Adeline smiled a little. 

“Nooroo.” She repeated back to him. She pulled him in close for a hug, which may have been a little too tight for him. He choked out a small plea for Gabriel to help, as the man chuckled softly. Nathalie smiled a bit too. As amused as Gabriel was, seeing his little girl and kwami together, he had to help. 

“Adeline, let go. That belongs to Papa.” 

She hesitated, but then eventually let him go. Nooroo was thankful to be free, retreating to the comfort of Gabriel’s suit jacket. Gabriel then let out a soft sigh, getting slightly frustrated and annoyed with her antics. “Okay, how about you go upstairs and have some play time?” He turned to Nathalie. “Hold that thought, mon amour.” Nathalie nodded. Gabriel stepped off the platform, and exited the atelier. He headed up the stairs and to her room. He set her down on the floor, right by her tea party set up. 

“Nooroo play?” Adeline asked, looking up to Gabriel with big eyes. She placed her plush peacock to her left, as her newest tea party guest. 

“Maybe he’ll want to later, ma princesse…” Gabriel replied, as he exited the room. She watched him, frowning slightly. Oh well. Papa may be gone, but at least she has her new peacock friend! It wasn’t the same as Duusu, but it was close enough. She looked up towards the ceiling. 

“Emlie?” She called for her friend. Emilie appeared before her, before getting down onto the child’s level. 

“Yes, Adeline?” 

“Where Duusu?” 

Emilie felt conflicted- she wanted to find the miraculous for her, but knew that was a terrible idea- for several reasons. Adeline was far too little to handle it, and as far as she knew, the miraculous was broken. Perhaps she could work a little bit of magic and have Adeline meet the peacock kwami safely, but she wasn’t even sure if that was possible. Instead, she told Adeline, “I’m not really sure, little one.” 

Adeline pouted a little, as she flopped on her back. She took her stuffed peacock with her, holding it tightly. It was evident that she was feeling annoyed. Emilie could tell the child was disappointed, so then she came up with a compromise. 

“But… I suppose I can go look around and see if I can find it…” 

Adeline perked up a bit, smiling a bit as she nodded at Emilie. “Tea party.” 

“You can start- I’ll join you when I return.” Emilie said, as she walked across the room, and towards the door. Using the door would give away, so instead, she phased through it and out into the hallway. She first walked down to the master bedroom- the place where she always kept it when she was alive. Once inside the room, she looked around to see if she could find her jewelry box. Of course- it was gone. Who knows where it went now- hopefully with her twin sister, whom she’d trust with such valuable trinkets. Nothing to see here otherwise. There was only one other place she could think of where Gabriel would keep those miraculous- in that safe downstairs. 

Adrien swore he heard the sound of a woman wearing high heels walking across the second floor of the mansion, but when he opened the door, he was mystified to see that he saw nothing. But the sound continued, down the stairs. He walked to the top of the stairs. The sound stopped, once it reached the atelier door. He wished he had that on camera, to show his friends that he’s definitely not losing it. 

Emilie stood by the wall in the foyer, and phased throughl, now on the other side and in the atelier. She can see Gabriel and Nathalie reading through the miraculous grimoire. She spotted the safe- just where it always was. She walked across the floor, being as quiet as possible, however, she must have been making some noise regardless, because Gabriel and Nathalie were looking up, and around the room. As Emilie approached the safe, she stared at it, and the lock. She knew how to open this at one point, but it’s been so long… she couldn’t seem to remember immediately. Her hand went to the dial, and she began to turn it. The muscle memory was coming back to her- and she thinks she can open it. 

Nathalie looked up from the book and saw the dial on the safe was turning. She smacked Gabriel in the chest to get him to look. He looked up- and he also stared. He heard the clicking of the dial as it turned. He would have gotten up to check for himself but he was too scared to move. They watched as the safe opened. Gabriel felt his palms growing sweaty as he watched the safe open. Was someone playing a practical joke? Or was the Agreste mansion haunted? He’s wondering if he should call a priest to cleanse his house. 

Emilie surveyed the contents of the safe- a few pictures that Adrien’s made, some other precious memories, and her eyes fell upon what she wanted to see. In all of its glory and just as she remembered- the peacock miraculous. Why was he keeping it in here still? Why wouldn’t he use it? He supposed he didn’t really have a purpose to use it like her. Oh well, what a shame. She’d have to leave it as is- she was being watched. Hopefully Gabriel would come to his senses and start to use it again… he was always a little cowardly, wasn’t he? She pushed the safe door shut and then proceeded to exit, through the wall again. She could at least report back to Adeline that she knows where the miraculous was… and when the time comes, she’ll know where it is. 

“Gabriel… are you alright?” Nathalie asked, concerned about his current state. She noticed her husband’s face was void of color, and sweat was visible. 

“Yes, I’m alright. Why?” He turned to her.

“You look pale.” 

“I always look like this.” 

“Stop lying. Let’s get you upstairs.” Nathalie slammed the grimoire shut, and set it down. She stood up and offered her arm to him. He reluctantly stood and took it. His head spun as he stood slowly, holding one hand to his forehead. He felt mostly embarrassed, but also genuinely unwell. Nathalie opened the door, and they exited. Their suitcases were still on the floor, but once again, she ignored them, slowly escorting him up the stairs. 

“This is embarrassing.” Gabriel mumbled, as he slowly hiked up the stairs, holding onto the handrail with his left hand, and holding onto his wife’s arm with the other. 

“Why?” 

“Because I shouldn’t feel this way over something.” 

“Gabriel, it’s okay… I’ll take care of you. That’s what part of the vows were.” Nathalie said, as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. He didn’t reply, but simply smiled as they made it to the top of the stairs. 

Adrien heard footsteps, and swears he was going to catch them this time on film- much to his chagrin, it was just his father and Nathalie- but Father didn’t look well. “Father, what’s wrong, are you alright?” 

Nathalie turned her head to Adrien. “He’s okay… just tired.” She turned away from him, ushering Gabriel into the master bedroom. She sat him down on the edge of the bed, as he laid down. He closed his eyes as he felt his world spinning again. Nathalie held his hand gently. Adrien had crept over, and peered inside. Now he was really worried. Once again, Adrien came close, kneeling down by the bedside. 

“Father… please tell me what’s wrong.” Adrien pleaded. 

Gabriel sighed, as he opened his eyes slowly. Thank the heavens that his head stopped spinning. He was starting to feel a bit better. “Son… let’s just say I saw something, and it really got to me.” He admitted, feeling weak. 

“What do you mean?” Adrien asks quietly. 

“The safe in the room downstairs.. It opened by itself. The dial was turning itself… I heard footsteps, and it sounded like-” 

“High heeled shoes?” Adrien finished. The three of them just looked at each other. Adrien was panicking now. 

Gabriel’s panic began to rise again. “Oh god, you heard it too?” 

“Yeah, the footsteps came from here, and then down the stairs. But the door never opened…” 

“We need to burn some sage, or spritz holy water, or something. We’re haunted.” Gabriel suggested. 

Nathalie had enough. “Both of you, calm down. We don’t need to burn sage, or spritz holy water. We’re going to remain calm, and act like civilized people.” 

“Okay, how do you explain the safe opening itself with the lock? That you need to turn.” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Nathalie was startled- she truly had no explanation for a phenomenon like that. “I… I don’t know. Alright, I suppose perhaps maybe, there is paranormal activity going on.” She hated that she just admitted that. She didn’t believe in this kind of stuff but at this point, what else is there to believe? 

“We better act fast, so that Adeline doesn’t get hurt.” Gabriel suggested. He slowly sat himself up, still holding Nathalie’s hand. 

“Actually Father, I don’t think whatever is around wants to hurt us. In fact, I think it really likes Adeline. She talks to whoever is there and treats it like a friend.” Adrien explained, with a smile on his face. Gabriel and Nathalie gave him a look that made it seem like he was insane. Reluctantly, they took his word for it. 

“...If you say so, Adrien.” Nathalie said, as she looked at Gabriel. His face was full of color again. 

“I suppose the only way to know for sure is to ask her.” Gabriel said, stretching out his back. 

“She’s too young, Gabriel, she’ll have no idea what the hell we’re talking about. We’ll have to wait a few months…”

“Her birthday is soon… let’s try around then.” Adrien suggested. They agreed. Toddlers were brutally honest all the time, and Adeline was no exception, however, her grip on reality may make it harder to give way for clarity for the adults around her. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline turns 2. She gets a lot of very nice birthday presents, but a very special surprise from Emilie.

As the date of Adeline’s birthday drew closer, her communication, creativity and personality only grew- and so did their knowledge of what she saw. They determined that what she was seeing was indeed, a spirit of sorts- with very light hair and dressed in a pretty white dress, and that was all she could describe. It frustrated Gabriel but Nathalie and Adrien seemed to be more content with the description. Gabriel was content that whoever Adeline was talking and seeing wasn’t out to get them- because he swore to God that if he was getting punished for what he’s done, that he, and he alone deserved it. He just didn’t want his sweet Nathalie, Adrien and Adeline to be dragged into it. They were innocent. 

He was at least able to distract himself with planning Adeline’s birthday party. They decided to have a fairly decently sized birthday, at an indoor playground, per Adrien’s suggestion. Since Adrien had a whole list of people to invite, Gabriel and Nathalie agreed. There was going to be a princess cake, and a whole princess birthday theme. Some of the girls even promised to come dressed in princess-inspired outfits. Alya and Nino even said they’d bring Ella, Etta and Chris so that Adeline can have some kids to play with. Manon and Nadja Chamack were invited as well. All of Adrien’s friends also said they’d come- by some miracle, though he supposed the indoor playground was probably enticing to all invited. 

The night before her birthday party, as Gabriel was putting Adeline down for bed, he gushed and fawned over her growing up so fast- and she was confused. He kissed her forehead before leaving her room, so that she may be allowed to sleep in peace for her big day tomorrow. As she drifted to sleep, Emilie was there, almost immediately. She knew it was almost her birthday, and wanted to make sure Adeline had a fantastic one. Throughout the time Adeline spent asleep, and talking to Emilie through her dreams, she learned quite a few things- that Emilie had found some special people that she wanted her to meet, and that soon they would meet. They went to go exploring various, fun dreamlands the young girl can dream of- such as Ponyville, Canterlot and even the Crystal Empire. Knowing that their time together was running out for now, Emilie decided now was the time to ask.

Emilie knelt down in front of Adeline and smiled. “Your birthday is tomorrow! What do you really want for your birthday?” 

Adeline smiled and simply responded, “Baby.” 

“Oh, like a baby doll?” 

“No. Baby.” Adeline repeated. 

She was talking about a real baby- like a baby brother or sister. That was going to be a tough one to fulfil. It wasn’t like she could just cause pregnancy on demand- magic like that takes a while, and the perfect window of time with the couple on the receiving end. Emilie would also have to find some other magical items within her spirit realm, to make sure the wish will be successful, and sometimes those can be hard to come by. Emilie sighed as she put a hand on Adeline’s shoulder. “I can’t make any promises that it’ll happen immediately, dear, but I’ll try my hardest to grant you that wish.” 

Adeline was just about to hug Emilie… but then she woke up, to both of her parents beaming over her in pride. She stretched her arms over her head, staring tiredly at them both in confusion. They were way too happy, especially this early. Still, she found herself being picked up by Nathalie and then promptly snuggled by both her papa and mama. She just wanted to sleep. Her hair was being fussed over by Nathalie who just smiled at her. 

“Happy birthday, my sweet girl…” Nathalie said softly, and kissed her daughter’s forehead. 

“Ma princesse is getting so big… and I’m getting old.” Gabriel joked, as he also gives her a kiss. He noticed she was a little grouchy. “Are you tired?” 

Adeline nodded. “Addy sleepy.” She mumbled, rubbing her eyes slowly. She rested her head on Nathalie’s shoulder. The woman simply smiled and rubbed her daughter’s back. 

“Not for long… all of your friends are going to celebrate your birthday with you! Aren’t you excited?” 

Adeline nodded, as she smiled. “Adri?” 

“Okay, let’s go wake up Adrien, then…” Nathalie said. Gabriel nodded, as the three of them headed to Adrien’s room. He was still fast asleep- but not for long. Adeline was placed on the bed by Adrien, and giving him a hug. 

“Adri!” She said, as she giggled and brushed her face against his arm. Adrien slowly roused from his sleep, can't help but smile. He slowly turned to his back, before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a hug. 

“Good morning, and happy birthday, Princess Adeline.” Adrien greeted her, as he sat up. She gave him a more proper hug, and nuzzled into his shirt slightly as well. Gabriel and Nathalie smiled at how sweet they were. 

“Good morning, Adrien. I hope you slept well.” Gabriel said to Adrien, looking down to him. Adrien nodded. He was always excited to see his friends, but now they were going to have a blast? He could hardly wait. 

Nathalie smiled, as she picked Adeline up from him again. “Go on and get ready, we’ll leave you alone.” 

Adrien smiled, as Gabriel, Nathalie and Adeline left his room. Nathalie got Adeline all dressed for her birthday, wearing a special princess shirt and pink leggings- something practical, in theme and stylish. Gabriel, meanwhile, finished readying himself and getting his kids their breakfast ready- rather, requesting the chef to prepare the meal. Of course, he requested Adeline’s favorite- fresh bread with strawberry jam and chocolate milk. Adeline was happy- her birthday was turning out great so far! The presents were coming later, which arguably would be the second highlight of her day. Though, she couldn’t wait to go to sleep again, so she can see Emilie again- and figure out what the surprise was. 

By the afternoon, after they ate lunch, it was time for them to go and pick up the cake. Tom and Sabine were more than happy to make Adeline her special birthday cake, even if the cake was very elaborate for a toddler birthday. The Gorilla was already waiting for them outside of the mansion. As they got into the car, Gabriel instructed Gorilla to stop by Tom and Sabine’s, for the birthday cake. When they made it to the bakery, Adrien was asked to come and help, though he wasn’t sure why his help would be needed. This cake was a surprise to everyone else, but Gabriel, who ordered the cake. Upon seeing the cake for the first time, Adrien was floored. A four-tiered cake, alternating pink and white layers with a golden tiara on the top, and various princess-themed decorations. It was nicely packaged for them, and ready to go. Gabriel gave the Dupain-Chengs a very nice tip for making such a cake, and Adrien assisted in transporting it to their car. Nathalie caught a glimpse, and was floored. 

“Are you kidding me, Gabriel?” Nathalie gawked at the cake, being loaded into the trunk of their new SUV. 

“What? What’s wrong with it?” Gabriel asked her. 

“Don’t you think that cake’s a bit extravagant for a toddler’s birthday?”

He took a look at the cake. “No.” 

Nathalie rolled her eyes, as the trunk was closed, and they sat back down in the car with the rest of the family. They were on their way once more. Adrien was already texting his friends- all eager to be a kid again for a few hours. Even Chloe and Sabrina were excited- dressed in Anna and Elsa inspired outfits, as their selfie clearly showed. Adrien smiled at the picture. He was also getting texts from Marinette- who decided to go with a Snow White inspired look. He loved her- and regretted not dressing up himself to match. Oh well. 

They pulled up to the indoor playground. It looked just like your stereotypical building on the outside, but Adeline got a glimpse of the inside- and she was excited. Adrien and Gabriel had gotten the cake, as the Gorilla went to go and park the car. Nathalie held the door open for them, and the poor worker there looked stunned at the size of the cake brought. She instructed for the cake to be placed on the table, away from the playground area. The guests should begin arriving shortly. Meanwhile, the employees gave Adeline a birthday sticker, which she was very excited about. She proudly showed off her birthday sticker to Papa, Mama and big brother. It wasn’t long after everything was set up that the guests started arriving. As the guests arrived, they placed their gifts on the table, and Adeline and Adrien greeted everyone. Of course, Adeline gave all of her guests hugs. Even the touch-adverse Chloe accepted the hug happily. Adeline adored seeing the girls dressing up in princess styled attire- she was so pleased to even see her new friends Ella and Etta dressed up as Moana, among Marinette dressed as Snow White, Chloe and Sabrina as Elsa and Anna respectively, Rose as Sleeping Beauty, and Alya even got into character- dressing as Elena of Avalor. 

Gabriel, Nathalie and the Gorilla watched the kids playing on all the equipment. Adeline, Manon, Ella, Etta and Chris were climbing as high as they possibly could, and going down the large slides, and chasing each other. Meanwhile, some of the bigger kids were hanging out at various points of the structure- a few maybe a bit too large to fit, but nevertheless still having fun. In the ball pit is where a lot of kids were lurking- Alix was standing behind Kim, grabbing one of the balls and throwing it right at the back of his head. 

“Hey! No fair!” Kim said, as he grabbed an armful of the plastic balls from the ball pit. Alix was clearly taunting him, sticking her tongue out at him. 

“What? Not my fault you’re too slow!” Alix said, as Kim began to launch the balls at her, and each time, her diving into the pit, and reappearing in a new spot. They were laughing, as he was trying to hit her at least once with a ball, but missing every time. Max watched them, and just rolled his eyes. He decided to join in, managing to tag both of them with a ball. The two of them just stopped and looked at him. Max gave them a smug and satisfied grin, only for it to be wiped from his face as Alix and Kim turned the tables onto him. 

“Hey!” Max said, while laughing, as he defended himself vehemently. The others knew to stay far away from those three, especially as they were duking it out. In fact, they all began to watch. The younger kids spectated from afar, and wondered what on earth their big siblings, baby sitters, and their friends were doing. Regardless, they returned to their game, and continued to have fun.

After 90 minutes of playtime for all the kids, it was finally time for cake. Everyone was more than ready- and surprised to see such a large cake for such a small guest. Since the cake was so large… Adeline had a little help with blowing out her birthday candles. Nathalie offered, and even insisted that the employees of the indoor playground each take a slice of cake. Even after distributing a piece of cake to all the employees, and the party-goers, there was still so much leftovers. Gabriel finally admitted that maybe he went a tad overboard. 

Next came the best part- opening presents! Adeline was so excited to open presents- with the help of Adrien, of course. She loved all the new toys she got, and couldn’t wait to play with every single one. Her favorites were her new Elsa doll, compliments of Chloe, a Fluttershy stuffed toy, courtesy of Kagami and a whole My Little Pony playset, from Mama, Papa and Adrien. She was particularly adamant of spending the rest of her party with her new Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity stuffed toys. Adeline properly thanked all of her friends for the presents, and gave each one of them a hug. 

As the party came to a close, Gabriel and Nathalie insisted that the guests each take a slice of cake home, to give to a family member or for themselves for later. The Gorilla, Nathalie and Adrien all were helping clean up, and taking all of Adeline’s gifts to the car. Even after all the cake and excitement, the birthday princess was feeling tired. She yawned as she clutched her stuffed pony friends again. Gabriel took notice, and picked her up. She immediately laid her head on his shoulder, still tightly holding onto all of her ponies. 

“Did you have fun today, ma princesse?” He asked softly. 

Adeline nodded. She was trying so hard not to fall asleep. He couldn’t help but fawn over her, delicately brushing her messy hair from her face. When all the cleanup they had to do was complete, Gabriel thanked the staff on behalf of the entire family, before meeting up with them. He put Adeline into her carseat, where she finally fell asleep. Nathalie and Adrien smiled at her, happy that she enjoyed her birthday. Adrien had the most fun he’s had in a while as well, and Gabriel and Nathalie were just happy that the party was a huge success. Nathalie leaned over and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek, and he smiled warmly. They kept silent, so that Adeline could get some rest. 

Once they were home it was almost like the toddler’s energy surged again. She was ready to play some more, and she had all sorts of new toys to play with! As the adults were bringing in the gifts, Adeline looked to Adrien, who was holding the biggest toy- her My Little Pony playset. 

“Adri, play ponies?” She asked him, pointing to the box in his hands. Adrien looked at the box in his hands- lots of small pieces and parts to assemble… but it was her birthday! He couldn’t say no. 

“Sure, Addy, I’ll play ponies with you.” Adrien promised her, as all of them went up the stairs and into her room. Thankfully her room was quite large, so finding a spot for all the new toys was not a problem. He promptly plopped himself on the floor with the playset, and began to unbox it. He can’t remember any of his toys having so many parts- but all of his were magically put together by someone. He unfolded the directions, and was suddenly intimidated by the piece of paper- but pushed onwards to assemble the behemoth toy. It was actually a lot easier than he expected, which was nice. Once fully assembled, Adeline’s excitement increased exponentially. She grabbed the box of pony figures she got too, courtesy of Alix, and brought them over to Adrien. 

He let Adeline lead the game- and he was in charge of playing Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. As much as he hated to admit it, he has watched the show, and liked it. He liked Applejack the best, for sure. In their little game, Applejack saved all of her friends from the evil zombie cat Chaton. Then, all of Equestria was saved from the giant zombie cat! Adrien wasn’t expecting to actually enjoy this, but he definitely was. 

By dinner time, they were just about to bust out the princess dolls. They were both hungry, though, so they headed downstairs to eat their dinner. Once their meal was completed, they came back upstairs- there was only an hour or so left before Adeline had to go to bed. They were playing with Anna and Elsa dolls, from Sabrina and Chloe. Elsa did some cool ice tricks for Anna- which she enjoyed. The tricks and magic continued, until Nathalie interrupted. It was bathtime. While she was getting her bath, Adrien was cleaning up her room, before returning to his own room for the night. All the excitement for the day was making Adeline sleepy- as she was getting her hair scrubbed by Nathalie. Once bathed and dressed in her pajamas, Adeline was finally ready for bed. Though, she had one request. 

“Want ponies.” Adeline said, gathering her stuffed pony toys again. Nathalie rolled her eyes a little, and then smiled. 

“Alright, you can sleep with your new toys.” Nathalie said, picking up Adeline and placing her in her crib. She had several toys surrounding her now- Chaton, her blanket, and now, Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. Her arms were too small to hug everything at once, but she tried her hardest too. Nathalie only chuckled, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Adeline’s forehead. “Good night, sweetheart.” She said softly. 

“Night night, Mama…” Adeline said, watching her mother leave the room. Her excitement levels were still quite high, but she knew she’d have to try and fall asleep… she desperately wanted to talk to Emilie in her dream again, so that she could meet the special people she had promised. Her eyes closed, in an attempt to force her to fall asleep. 

While Adeline was partying and celebrating, Emilie was also hard at work with her own birthday surprise for Adeline. She had recently encountered an angel couple, and very young daughter- and recognized the couple from her earthly life. Of course, she had told them all about Adeline- and the couple would want to meet her just as much as Adeline wanted to meet them. Emilie was scrambling to get them with her to Adeline’s dream dimension, as she knew that the young girl would be joining any time now. The couple was instructed to wait out of view, so that the presence of all of them at once doesn’t overwhelm the small child. After some patient waiting, Adeline faded in, slowly opening her eyes as she looked up. The woman and small child embraced, eager to see each other once more. 

“Did you have fun at your birthday party today?” Emilie then asked, as she sat down in front of Adeline.

“Yes! Friends play.” Adeline explained. Emilie gathered that she, and her friends all played together. That made the woman smile, especially knowing she’d make the young child’s night even better. 

“That’s so great to hear, little one… Well, guess what? I have some special people I want you to meet.” Emilie explained, and turned her head over her shoulder. “Come on, guys…” She called for the couple.

Two new figures came into Adeline’s line of sight- the angel of a man and a woman, seemingly around Emilie’s age when they passed on. The man was tall with broad shoulders, well kept jet black hair, and ice blue eyes. His white robes more resembled a flowy shirt and pants, belted at the waist. His large, feathery wings were spread. The hair and eyes seemed familiar… but Adeline couldn’t place her finger on it. His wife stood beside him, her dark brown hair down to her mid-back, and with eyes a darker shade of blue. Her robe was identical to Emilie’s, resembling a long, white flowy dress. The man and woman approached the small child, and Adeline felt drawn to them- as if they were missing from her life somehow. 

“Alaire, look at her- doesn’t she look so much like our daughter?” The woman spoke. Her voice sounded slightly familiar too. 

“Both of them, Elaine. She has our girls’ eyes… She has your hair.” He smiled down at Adeline. She wasn’t sure why, but Adeline’s urge to ask to be held rose. She silently raised her arms to Alaire- and he couldn’t resist the urge to pick her up, so he did. Adeline smiled as she hugged the man. He chuckled. “She’s a bit heavier than I’m used to. Heavier than our Catherine, that’s for sure.” 

“Dear, remember, Adeline’s a growing child, not stuck in infancy.” Elaine said, as she frowned slightly. She loved that she could be with her Catherine… but dearly missed her older daughter, who was still on Earth. How she longed to see her again and hold her. 

“You’re right… Jeez, it’s been that long, huh?” Alaire said, in amazement. He missed his daughter’s wedding, which hurt him so much. He walked down the aisle alongside his daughter, whether she realized or not, though, and that was going to have to be good enough for him. 

“Yes, my dear… it has. Nathalie must be older than us now.” Elaine somberly said. 

“Definitely. I hope she’s doing well.” Alaire said, as he looked to his wife. “Perhaps we should let our granddaughter meet her aunt… right?” 

The two women agreed. Elaine faded away, only to return with an infant, about six months in age. The infant was alert and seemed happy. Adeline saw her- her tiny wings sprouted from her back and wearing a robe that was far too big for her body. “Adeline… meet Catherine.” Emilie said softly. Adeline’s gaze met the baby, immortalized forever at that age. Even though she was quite young herself… she seemingly understood what happened to baby Catherine, Alaire and Elaine. The toddler’s little heart broke- Mama’s whole family was here, and not able to talk to Mama- and has been that way for a long time. Adeline reached a hand to the baby, and let her hold it. Adeline began to cry. Emilie frowned a little as she watched. 

“Oh, Adeline… don’t cry, my dear…” Emilie softly said, as she watched Adeline sob into Alaire’s shoulder. The man watched with a somber expression, as did his wife. Eventually, they got the toddler to calm down, and decided to cheer her up. Her tears stopped, but her heartbreak was still strong. Alaire and Elaine decided to tell their granddaughter stories about Nathalie as a child. Emilie was happy to stick around, taking over holding the toddler. 

Adeline’s night was spent learning so much about her mama, and her family, that she’d never get to meet. She even heard a little bit about her papa, as her grandma remembered him, anyhow. Her heartbreak was temporarily mended, though unaware of what the sadness will bring to her when she awakens. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline unveils a mystery about Nathalie, and is determined to fix the pain she caused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: Graphic flashback depictions of infant death. The flashback portion is separated out between line breaks.

Gabriel had woken up early the following morning to the sound of faint crying. He shot up in bed, peering over at Nathalie. She was still fast asleep, thank goodness. But he recognized that Adeline sounded distressed. Not bothering to put on his robe or slippers, he sped walked down the hall and into his daughter’s room. She was sitting up in her crib, holding all of her stuffed animals and sobbing profusely. He rushed over to her and picked her up. She began to calm down, sobs quieting down as she was held securely in her dad’s arms. Gabriel rocked her gently. 

“Ma princesse, what’s wrong...?” Gabriel asked, trying to shush her. 

“C-Catherine…” Adeline hiccuped, before her crying resumed. 

Gabriel was confused. What a strange name for her to say… as far as he knew, there were no people with that name close to their family, and Adrien’s friends were not named that either. He was at a loss on how to console her. “Catherine’s okay, Adeline…” 

Clearly, whatever he said clearly upset her more, because she started crying even harder than she was before. He just sighed. Unfortunately it seems like he’d have to wake the beast known as his wife- who is not a morning person. As he rubbed Adeline’s back, she began to calm down again. He headed back towards the master bedroom, and briefly paused the back rub in order to wipe her eyes. Her tears soaked the shoulder of his thin t-shirt already. Upon entering, Nathalie stirred in her sleep. She awoke, in a daze as to why Adeline was in her room and crying her eyes out. 

“Gabriel, what’s going on?” Nathalie asked, words slurring together as she hadn’t fully woken up yet. 

“Adeline was crying her eyes out… I can’t figure out why… Something about someone named Catherine…” He mumbled. 

Nathalie shot straight up in the bed- Gabriel completely caught off guard by the reaction. He raised a brow. “Is there something wrong?” 

She looked a bit stunned- how did Adeline know about Catherine? Gabriel didn’t even know about her. Her sister’s name brought back haunting memories- one that never left her mind. “It’s… I’m okay.” That was a bit of a lie, though- she really wasn’t okay, while Gabiel’s attention turned back to Adeline for now, the memories resurfaced. 

* * *

Nathalie could still recall clearly what happened that morning- she was only eight years old. She was fast asleep on a calm, spring morning, when she woke up to the sound of her mother screaming for her father to call the paramedics. The young Nathalie was startled awake, falling out of bed with a thud. She was scared that her mother was severely sick or hurt by the way she was screaming. She pulled herself to her feet and put on her glasses. As she raced down the hall to her mom and dad’s room, she peeked her head in. Her mother was frantically trying to perform CPR on a lifeless baby girl, her sister, laid out on the bed. Her papa caught Nathalie watching while he was calling for paramedics. 

“Nathalie, what are you doing awake?” He asked, trying to hide what was going on. He didn’t want her to see. 

“Papa… what’s going on?” A scared Nathalie asked. Why was her baby sister so blue, and foam coming out of her mouth? 

Alaire sighed, as he tried to shoo Nathalie away. “Ma petite, please go back to bed…” He urged her. She didn’t want to. 

“No Papa, I don’t want to!” Her voice cracked. “Is Catherine okay...?” 

“I… I don’t know, Nathalie. Just… Please don’t be difficult and go to your room.” He told her. 

Nathalie nodded, as she slowly retreated to her room. She left her door open, but she laid herself on her bed. She grabbed her teddy bear, and held it close to her chest. The truth was, she was scared. She didn’t know what was happening and it terrified her. A few minutes must have passed with her laying on her bed in silence and staring at the wall. The apartment was swarmed with medics, the sound of their heavy boots loud against the wood floors as they ran past her open door. They were working their best to see if there was any way to try and revive the infant, but it appeared that she may have been deceased for hours by the time they got there. Regardless, CPR was continued on baby Catherine, with Elaine Sancoeur crying into her husband’s arms. He cried with her, holding his wife and rubbing her back. Taking the baby, they rushed out of the apartment. Monsieur and Madame Sancoeur stopped their tears for the moment as they were getting dressed quickly, scrambling so that they could go to the hospital. Once they were fully dressed, they were racing to get out of the house. Alaire stopped by Nathalie’s room and noticed that she was curled up on her bed, and softly crying into her teddy bear’s head. 

“Nathalie, just put your shoes on. We need to go to the hospital.” He said to her. He even brought over her shoes for her, as she sat up. Her nose was running and her eyes were red and tears were running down her face quickly.

“Papa, I’m scared…” Nathalie cried, as she was putting on her shoes. She was still dressed in her nightgown. She stared at her Papa, and she could tell that he wasn’t his usual, happy self. “...Are you scared?” 

Alaire sighed, as he leaned down to hug Nathalie. “I am very scared, ma petite. It’s okay to be scared right now. But please promise that you’ll listen to everything Mama and Papa say immediately, okay? Make it easy.” 

Nathalie nodded, as she hugged him with one arm, and her teddy bear with another. She stopped crying, and Alaire allowed Nathalie to take her stuffed animal with her- which made her feel better. 

  
  


As they rushed to the hospital, Nathalie was worried about her mom- Elaine was absolutely devastated, and didn’t want to talk to them. Poor Nathalie just wanted her mom to hug her, but she was denied. Once they arrived, they scrambled inside, to sit in the waiting room. Those were the hardest minutes of her life. She hugged her teddy bear, idly swinging her legs. She hoped and prayed for her baby sister’s safety. She loved her so much- even if she’s only been around for six months. She’s always wanted to be a big sister to someone. She was old enough to understand what death was- she had learned when her grandmother died last year. That was sad enough- she cried a lot, because she loved her grandmother. She couldn’t imagine that pain once again. A doctor walked down the hall, solemn look on her face as she pulled her surgical mask down from over her face. She approached the Sancoeurs. 

“Monsieur and Madame Sancoeur? Your baby is gone… I’m so sorry.” 

Nathalie felt her world crashing down around her. She felt nothingness within her. There were no tears left to cry, but she could hear her mother’s heartbroken sobbing, calling for her baby. Her father was holding her mother, trying to not cry in front of the doctor. The doctor invited the family back to see the child one last time. Her father called for her to follow them- and she followed. She kept her promise to listen to Mama and Papa closely. She remained pin-drop silent as she kept her distance from her parents. They were led into a triage room, and Nathalie was horrified to see her baby sister lying lifeless in the hospital bassinet. She watched as her mother reached into the bassinet and held the small infant in her arms. Alaire glanced over to see his elder daughter standing back, silently clutching the teddy bear and staring at the floor. He slowly went to go pick her up. Her father’s grip on her was tighter than normal. She hated it when she was being held too tightly, but she allowed him to do so. 

She had finally gotten a better look at Catherine. It was horrible- Her lips were very blue, and her skin was grey, clad without her sleeper now as they tried to shock her as well. Nathalie didn’t want to remember her sister like this- she wanted to remember her as a lively, happy baby who loved to give her hugs and kisses. She averted her gaze, chin resting on her dad’s shoulder as she stared out the hospital window. She felt like she needed to cry- but she had no energy to bring herself to do. Feeding her anguish was taking a physical toll. She felt like she needed to nap already, despite it still being early in the morning. Her head turned as she laid her head on her father’s shoulder fully. Her eyes closed slowly, as she caught one last glimpse of her sister. 

When she awoke again, she found that she was home and in her bed. Maybe she just had a terrible dream, and none of the thoughts that came to mind were real. She got out of bed, and could hear her mother talking on the phone to her sister, sounding distant as opposed to her upbeat demeanor. Her father was reading the newspaper, and the look on his face was evident that he was bearing a heavy weight. Catherine still wasn’t here. She felt a pit in her stomach as she raced into her mama and papa’s room. The bassinet was empty. Catherine was nowhere to be found still. It turns out it wasn’t a terrible dream- it was a terrible reality. She sadly trudged back into the kitchen. Alaire glanced over at her from the newspaper and smiled a little. 

“Good morning ma chérie… can I get you some breakfast?” He asked. 

Nathalie nods. “Yes please, Papa… I want toast and jam.” Thank goodness she wasn’t that hungry… but she figured she should eat a little something. He put his reading material down to go fix her a plate of toast and jam per her request. While the toast was being toasted, he served her a glass of chocolate milk. It was a rare treat for her, so clearly something was wrong if her parents were serving her the drink unprompted. Elaine had just wrapped up her phone call, hanging up the phone as she rests her elbows on the table and puts her face into her hands. Not even a good morning greeting from her mother. 

After a bit of silence, Nathalie set down her slice of toast. “Good morning, Maman.” She said softly. 

Elaine looked over at Nathalie and smiled. She was grateful to see her daughter. “Good morning, ma puce.” 

The silence continued, as Nathalie finished off her breakfast. She takes her plate and glass and puts it in the sink. Without saying a word, she retreated to her room. Elaine and Alaire looked over at her as she left, and then looked at each other. 

“I think we need to talk to her about this.” She said. Alaire nodded. 

“Of course. I’ll do it.” He said, knowing that his wife wasn’t ready to discuss with Nathalie about the matter just this minute. Elaine smiled a little, as she watched him go off. He walked down to Nathalie’s room. As he arrived at her closed door, he knocked. “Nathalie, can I come in?” 

Nathalie was currently changing out of her pajamas, and into her normal clothes. “Just a moment, papa.” She said, as she quickly finished her outfit change. She brushed out her skirt. “Okay, you can come in now.” 

He entered, and saw her putting her pajamas into her hamper. He then sits himself on her bedroom floor, and invites her to sit next to him. “I just want to talk to you… About your sister.” 

Nathalie felt her heart drop, as she looked at him. Her legs were crossed as she stared at the rug below her. “What about her?” She asked him. 

“She…died. You knew that, right?” 

“Yes, Papa…” 

“How are you feeling?” He then asked her, grabbing a hold of her hand. 

She squeezed his hand gently and then looked at him slowly. “I’m really sad.” 

“I’m really sad too, ma petite…” He said softly. He looked to her- seeing her eyes welling in her eyes. “Nathalie…” She began to cry, as she looked down at the rug in front of her. 

“Why did Catherine have to die, Papa?” She sobbed. Alaire quickly scooped Nathalie up and held her close, as she sobbed into his shirt. It stung him to hear his daughter crying and upset over something he couldn’t fix and make better, or give her an answer to make her happy. 

“I don’t know, Nathalie… sometimes, bad things just happen…” 

“But why? It’s not fair!” Her crying became borderline hysterical, gripping his shirt in her fist. 

“I know it’s not fair, ma petite chérie… and you’re right. But sometimes, life just isn’t fair.” 

Nathalie continued her crying, as she looked up at him. He looked down at her, and ran her fingers through her messy hair. “Papa, I miss her…” 

“I know, mon bébé. We all will. But she’ll always be with you, right here.” He said, as he put his finger to her heart. Her eyes still filled with tears, she smiled, and placed her hand on top of his. She then gave him a hug. She knew she could try and be stronger. 

A week or so later, after the memorial services were held for Catherine, Elaine had presented Nathalie with another teddy bear- handmade with one of the baby’s onesies. It mended her heart. A physical thing to hug made the young Nathalie feel much better. Once the burial was complete, Nathalie didn’t want to come back here for another interment for a very, very long time. But life played a cruel joke on her, when she was back here not even 10 years later for her parent’s internment. They were killed when their car was struck. It spun out of control, and plunged into the Seine River. Her world came down on her once more, but twice as hard as before. 

* * *

Thank God she had her extended family, and Gabriel and Emilie during that. Who knows what would have happened to her if she didn’t have such great support. Her emotions slowly turned to stone over the years… however, she felt the stone layer beginning to erode right now. As she sat in bed with her husband and young daughter, she felt tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. She quickly got out of bed and rushed into the bedroom closet, Gabriel watching as he looked at the now calmed Adeline. She just assumed she was getting dressed. She had that box somewhere- the box of her most prized possessions. Gabriel doesn’t even know about this. She feels terrible hiding this from him, but she never found the time. She located the box, and opened it. She found just what she was looking for- the teddy bear, stitched from a pair of her sister’s pajamas, and an old photograph, of the two sisters right after Catherine’s birth . She put the box back in its spot, and emerged from the closet, holding the teddy bear and picture frame- certainly worn down over the years but not in terrible shape at all. 

“Gabriel, This is Catherine.” She held up the two momentos. He evidently didn’t look too closely at the picture. 

“She’s… your teddy bear?” He remarked.

“She’s more than just a teddy bear!” She snapped, sounding rightly furious for a moment. She felt herself about to break. Realizing what she did, she took a deep breath. “...To be fair, you wouldn’t have known. I never told you.” 

“How come?” He asked, unfazed by her lashing out at him. Instead, as she sat on the bed with him, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Nathalie showed him the teddy bear, and then the picture. 

“I suppose that there was never a good time to bring it up. I’m sorry, Gabriel. I shouldn’t have kept this a secret so long.” Nathalie clutched the moments tightly. 

“Nathalie, it’s okay. Please, go on and tell me about Catherine, then… I’m sure Adeline would love to hear too.” 

Nathalie then nodded, preparing herself. “I had a younger sister, Catherine. She passed away when she was about six months old. I was eight.” She explained, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Gabriel was surprised that she hadn’t even mentioned she had a sister. Though, he supposed perhaps it was very painful for her to talk about random, even after all these years. Nathalie looked at the picture of her happy, smiling self, and her baby sister. She smiled through her tears. “My dear Nathalie, I’m so sorry…” He mumbled, as he held her close. Nathalie began to cry again. 

“Don’t be sorry, I… miss her. I miss my mother and father too. I just wish they were here to meet you, Adrien and Adeline. They were our age when they died, Gabriel. I don’t want that to happen to us in any way.” 

“That will not happen to us. I know it won’t.” 

“How do you know?” She sounded choked up. 

“It’s very unlikely we’ll get into a fatal car accident, according to statistics. We’re also relatively healthy.” He explained to her. Her face turned to him, and she reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. 

“And what about Adeline? You have no idea how much I stressed over her when she was an infant and her sleeping. I was constantly monitoring her…. Because if she stopped breathing… I wanted to be there right away. So she could live. I still stress when I hear something slightly off from her room...” She had finally broken down, what felt like a floodgate of various emotions- new and stored away flowing out of her. Gabriel hugged her close and rested his chin on her head. 

“She is fine, isn’t she? Alive, perfectly well. She was perfectly healthy when she was born… and she still is. Well, aside from the common cold. I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about her. She’s perfect.” Gabriel said, as he kissed Nathalie’s forehead. Nathalie sniveled hopelessly, as she still hugged him tight, and buried her face into his shoulder. She was trying to calm herself down. He wasn’t wrong, but she still just missed her family, and no words of assurance can make it hurt less. 

Adeline watched. She hadn’t seen her mama so upset before. She leaned over to give Nathalie a hug. “I love you.” 

Nathalie smiled a little, tears still pouring down her face but audible crying stopped as she looked at her daughter, now holding onto her. Nathalie wrapped one arm around her daughter. “I love you too.” 

Adeline was happy now- but she knew she had to do something. She didn’t want Mama to be sad anymore. She remembered seeing Emilie make a person, specifically herself, while wearing that weird brooch thing and the feather from the fan. Adeline believed it was her turn to make people just like Emilie did. She needed to get her hands on that brooch sooner rather than later. It was a more daunting task than she thought, but she’d make sure that it would fall into her hands one way or another. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline learns something new- and finds herself in trouble.

Over the next few weeks, Nathalie was feeling off. Random cravings here, bouts of nausea there, and the random, isolated headache and sore breasts. Gabriel was suspecting something, but he and Nathalie just assumed maybe something didn’t settle right in her stomach, or she had a stress headache. Adeline kept asking about a baby, pointing to Nathalie’s abdomen. Each time she asked, Nathalie refuted, not wanting to get the child’s hopes up. Her daughter has been asking about another baby for quite a while now- and Gabriel and her decided they didn’t plan on having any more kids- Adrien and Adeline were enough for them. However, when Nathalie missed her period… that’s when she was beginning to get worried. She wanted to go out, get a pregnancy test, and come back and hope he wouldn’t notice. Currently, she was looking over some emails, drumming her fingers on the desk in boredom as her eyes glossed over the words. Once she was done, she stood up from her desk. 

“I’m going to take a walk to the bakery, to pick up some macarons. I’ll be back shortly.” She said, as she headed for the door. That wasn’t entirely a lie, either. She was strongly craving macarons, specifically both lemon and lavender.

“Okay,” was the only response he could have mustered, slightly confused as to why she was just up and leaving for macarons, for the second time this week. She’d usually wait until she had a break. He watched her exit the atelier. 

She stepped outside into the sun, and took a moment to let the warmth and radiance wash over her, as she began her walk in the direction of the bakery, while also scouting the streets for a pharmacy. After all these years she’d expect to know the local area like the back of her hand, but she was surprised when she had no idea how to navigate on her own. Perhaps she was always preoccupied with other matters. Just a block before the bakery, she saw a small pharmacy a block or two east. She decided to stop there first, switching her direction to head east. Once she made it to the pharmacy, she entered, and beelined to the pregnancy tests. She grabbed one, and then a package of gum. After a speedy and efficient transaction, Nathalie turned a corner, heading up a block and over two. On the walk there, she concealed the test and the pack of gum in her suit. She arrived at Tom and Sabine’s bakery. When she entered, she was greeted by the owners. 

“Nathalie, you’re back… again. Would you like your dozen macarons, plus one to get your husband off your back?” Sabine asked. 

Nathalie nods. “Yes, exactly. Six lemon, six lavender and one raspberry.” She watched as Sabine packed the cookies into the box. 

“I have a feeling you’re pregnant, judging by how often you’re in here, and what you’re ordering.” Sabine commented, as she placed the box on the counter. 

Nathalie shook her head, admiring the other pastries in the case. She noticed that behind Sabine, Tom had a tray of freshly made milk buns, which he placed in the oven. The world must be trying to give her a sign at this point. “Perhaps. We’ll find out when I return. Oh, and two croissants, please. For the kids.” 

Sabine grabbed a pastry bag, and placed two croissants in. She put the box of macarons and pastry bag of croissants into a paper bag. Nathalie pulled out her wallet and placed a 20 and a 5 euro bill in Sabine’s hand. Once she had her change, Nathalie thanked and waved goodbye to Tom and Sabine. As she was walking home, she stashed the pregnancy test box with croissants. She returned home, where Gabriel was waiting for her patiently. He was still at his podium, holding a stylus as he looked up from the screen. 

“What took you so long?” He asked. 

“Oh uh… There was a line. I had to wait.” Nathalie replied, fishing the bag of croissants from the paper bag, and holding it close. “I got you a raspberry macaron. It’s in the box.” She brought the bag over to him. 

He took the bag, and kissed her cheek affectionately. “Thank you, dear. I’ll take it and leave the rest for you…” 

“You’re very smart. I’m going to give Adeline a croissant. I decided to treat the kids.” She smiled, and he smiled back at her. She exited the atelier once more, and proceeded up the stairs. It was far too quiet, and she quickly learned when Adrien was little that quiet toddlers are causing trouble. Upon entering Adeline’s room, her heart dropped. The toddler was nowhere to be found. Nathalie placed the croissants down on the dresser and raced downstairs again. She kicked the door open. 

“Oh my god, she’s gone!” 

“What do you mean she’s gone?!” 

“She’s not in her room!” 

Gabriel dropped his stylus, and raced up the stairs. Sure enough, she was gone. He began to search her room- not that there were many places for her to hide. While he was searching upstairs, she searched around downstairs. They were even more worried when the search turned up empty, after checking every empty crevice and possible hiding spot a two year old could hide in- under furniture and in cabinets. Nathalie hoped Gabriel wouldn’t see the pregnancy test and pastries, though there were much better things for her to worry about if he were to discover it. They met up again in the foyer. 

“Jesus, she’s not even in the house… where did she go? Adrien didn’t leave with her, I know that…” Nathalie panicked, putting her hands to her face. Gabriel pulled out his cell phone. 

“I’ll call Adrien.” He had his son on speed dial, so he touched the number. 

Adrien was hanging out with Luka, Marinette and Kagami today. They were getting ice cream right now, from Andre Glacier’s cart. Adrien sighed as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He used his free hand to answer the phone, holding it to his ear. “Hello Father.” 

“Adrien, have you seen your sister?” 

“Isn’t she supposed to be home?” 

“Yes, but she’s not. Have you seen her?” 

“No, Father, I haven’t… b-but my friends and I will look around, okay?” Adrien’s voice began to shake. Luka, Kagami and Marinette turned to him. 

“Thank you, Adrien. Please be careful- I don’t need two missing children.” 

Adrien nodded, as he put his phone back into his pocket. He was noticeably worried. 

“Is everything okay, Adrien?” Kagami asked, taking a bite of her ice cream. 

“Adeline’s missing. Father said she wasn’t home, and she’s not here with us.” Adrien replied, absolutely worried. Luka, Kagami, and Marinette flinched- now all of them also worried. 

“Don’t worry, Adrien, we’ll help you look for her.” Luka replied, putting a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. Kagami and Marinette nod. 

“She couldn’t have gone too far… right? We should split up and search as much as we can.” Marinette suggested, and the others agreed. 

“Right- and if anyone spots anything, we let each other know.” Kagami said. They all nodded. They parted ways- Kagami headed north, Luka headed south, Marinette went east and Adrien headed west. They were eating their ice cream as they searched for the missing child. 

Adeline knew she was going to be in big trouble once she was found. She discovered she had a new ability- being able to go anywhere by taking a shortcut through the spirit realm. Since she hangs around with Emilie, and then Catherine, Elaine and Alaire, their magic slightly infected her. She had accidentally opened up a pathway for herself to get to a local cemetery, and somehow, inside of the Sancoeur mausoleum. They were the last people she was thinking of, so when she opened up her pathway, she ended up here. The issue was, she had no idea what she did to do that, and wasn’t able to find a way to recreate the same ability, and now she was stuck here. Or, maybe not. She walked over to the door, and leaned on it, trying to push it open. It seemed to be stuck, though. She decided to then push on the door, with all the strength in her two-year-old body. After a bit of pushing, the door unjammed itself, and the door opened- however she fell forward, and landed flat on her chest. She pulled herself up, and carefully toddled down the three marble steps and onto the grass. At least she was out of that marbled house… it was nice in there and all but it was getting too warm for her. She looked around, trying to find her way towards a street. She pressed her face to the bars of the wrought iron fence, and looked around. There was not a single soul in sight. Adeline sat down in the grass, too scared to go anywhere. Her hands gripped the fence as she stared blankly out onto the street. 

Emilie soon appeared, sitting next to Adeline. She felt like a failure- she wasn’t watching the child close enough, and now she couldn’t even help her back home. If Adeline were to try and travel by a pathway that Emilie had created for her, there’s a chance that the child would simply vanish for all eternity from the real world. Emilie was taking no chances of that- so she’d just have to sit here and wait with her. 

At the Agreste Mansion, Nathalie was calling around- asking everyone she could think of if they’d seen Adeline- and none of them had. Gabriel was scanning the footage of the monitor set in Adeline’s room- she quite literally vanished. The monitor screen went white, and then the next moment, she was gone. After hanging up with the last person to call, Officer Raincomprix, Nathalie began to cry. Gabriel rushed over to her, and gave her a hug. 

“I want my baby back…” Nathalie cried helplessly. 

Gabriel held her close, and sighed. “She’ll be back, Nathalie… I believe she’ll be okay.” 

Nathalie sniffled, as she looked up at Gabriel. “How do you know?” 

“Because, I believe in Adrien and his friends, as well as our friends and the officers to find her. Please… just trust me.” 

She nodded- believing Gabriel so firmly, but also unable to control her tears. Her face buried into his shoulder now. 

At this point, the search had been going on for well over an hour. Still, nothing. Kagami had no idea where she was- somehow she ended up getting lost while searching for a lost child.  _ How ironic _ , she thought. She had to be at least a kilometer or two away from where she had started. Compared to the rest of the city, this part of Paris seemed to be quiet- eerily so. The only thing notable was a small cemetery that she sees a block away. She spots a tiny figure sitting along the edge of the fence. It was too weird- she had to go check it out. She approached the eerie cemetery, and she looked to see a child sitting by the fence. Kagami squinted. No way- did she just find Adeline? 

“Adeline?” Kagami called. 

Adeline perked up at her name being called- she knew that voice. It was one of Adrien’s good friends. She decided to get up and run towards her. Finally, she was free! 

Kagami was pleased to discover that she had found Adeline. She was curious how the toddler managed to wander so far away. “Adeline! How did you get here? We’re pretty far from home…” 

Adeline frantically pointed back to where she came from, and started walking. Kagami figured she should follow. They walked down towards the end of the cemetery, and they stopped in front of a mausoleum. It was out of place, considering just how small the cemetery was, and the door was open. Kagami got a good look- and the door to the marble memorial was wide open.

“You were… inside that?” Kagami asked, and Adeline nodded. 

“Grand-mère, Grand-père there.” Adeline explained.

“You were visiting your grandma and grandpa? They’re in there?” 

“Yes. And Tante.” 

“And your aunt?” 

“How did you get here, then? Did someone take you here?” 

The toddler stayed silent, staring blankly at Kagami. She understood the question, but didn’t know how to verbalize her response. So, she tried to mimic what she did to get here, though the pantomime left the teenager more confused. Finally, Kagami shook her head. “Okay, I see. I think it’s time we go home now…” She said to Adeline. Since Kagami didn’t trust the two year old to be able to scale the fence, she decided to come and get her. Thankfully, the fence wasn’t overly tall, and she was able to jump the fence with ease. She walked over to the mausoleum door, and closed it, making sure it was locked. Kagami reapproached Adeline, and got down on her knee. 

“Okay, I’m going to carry you like this- we got a long walk back.” Kagami explained. She had absolutely no clue how she’d find their way back, but she’ll figure out a way. Adeline got onto her back, and held on tight as Kagami jumped the fence back to the street. She grumbled, feeling her tights getting snagged on the sharp point of the fence. Just as she was going to let everyone know she had found Adeline, she realized something- her cellphone had no service to it. Just her luck, she and Adeline were lost, with no cell service and with no people in sight. She swore under her breath as she just decided to head back in the direction she came from- she’d have to find cellular service along the way at some point. 

Marinette was searching high and low, but still nothing. She was texting Luka, Adrien and Kagami her updates and status. She kept hearing back from the boys, but not from Kagami. Marinette grew concerned- Kagami usually responded promptly to every message, unless she was preoccupied. Adrien and Luka shrugged it off, just saying that maybe Kagami was indeed preoccupied with the search. Marinette just assumed they were right- though she was still worried. Her search went for Kagami and Adeline now. 

As Kagami walked down the sidewalk, using the Eiffel Tower in the distance as a reference point, she was glancing at her cellphone. She couldn’t seem to hold a signal- until she finally hit a point where she got a weak signal. She stopped, and immediately began to text Marinette, Adrien and Luka the good news… much to her dismay when it didn’t send. She kept trying to send the message, she was caught off guard with the sound of police sirens getting louder, and louder, until it stopped right in front of her. She looked up from her phone. Oh no, it was Officer Raincomprix, with Sabrina sitting in the passenger seat. Kagami began to realize just how bad this situation looked. Officer Raincomprix exited the car and stood before Kagami. 

“Ma’am, do you have any idea that you have a missing child on your person?” 

“Yes sir.” Kagami replied. Adeline must have fallen asleep on Kagami- and now she was beginning to stir. 

“And where did you find her? 

“The cemetery a few blocks away.” 

The officer was quite skeptical, but he didn’t have enough evidence to arrest her for child abduction. Instead, he said, “Get in the car.” 

Kagami was both relieved, and slightly worried. She hoped that she wouldn’t get arrested. She complied, and got into the car, into the back seat. She placed Adeline to her right, and they were on their way. The message must have gone through, because her phone was getting flooded with messages. She informed them that they were going to the police station, watching as the toddler was holding onto her arm tightly. Kagami smiled a bit. 

Adrien immediately called his father upon Kagami’s message, and changed his direction to head to the police station. “Father! Kagami found Adeline!” 

Gabriel was so pleased, he was smiling in relief. Of course, Nathalie had excused herself to use the restroom just moments before the call. “Oh, thank god. Where are they?” 

“Headed to the police station- Officer Raincomprix found them walking. I think she mentioned they were lost on the way back.” 

“All that matters is that they’re both found and okay. Nathalie and I will meet you and your friends there.”

“See you there.” Adrien said. They both hung up, and Gabriel stood, waiting for Nathalie to return from the bathroom. A few minutes later, Nathalie returned. She was calmer now than she was an hour ago. 

“Any updates?” 

“Miss Tsurugi found her, quite far away as I’ve been told. A kind officer is taking them to the police station.” Gabriel couldn’t contain his joy. Nathalie couldn’t either, as she hugged him tight. 

“We need to go- now.” Nathalie urged. Gabriel nodded, as they both headed to the car. Nathalie was driving them, as she was far too excited to wait for a ride. Gabriel was in fear, unaware of his wife’s lead foot when she was in a rush. He was holding onto the handlebar and praying to God they’d make it in one piece. Upon arriving at the nearby police station, Nathalie rushed to park the car. Gabriel realized just how badly she did. 

“Nathalie, you simply can’t park like that- you did a terrible job.” Gabriel commented, while receiving a dagger-glare right at her. He pursed his lips, as they headed inside. She began to look for her baby frantically, and Officer Raincomprix emerged from a hallway, with Adeline by his side. 

“Mama! Papa!” Adeline yelled as she began to run to Nathalie and Gabriel. She hadn’t been so happy to see them in her entire life. Nathalie smiled as she knelt down as Adeline gave her a hug. 

“My baby…” Nathalie said, as she hugged her daughter tight. Gabriel joined them, wrapping his arms around both of them. 

Soon, another officer escorted Kagami out from the back of the station. She looked over, smiling a little upon seeing Adeline back where she belongs- though she wondered where Luka, Adrien and Marinette were. Her question was answered as the three of them entered, looking like they just ran a marathon to be here. Adrien was pulled away to be hugged by his father, but Kagami was soon embraced by Luka and Marinette. She hugged them back, and then was approached by Gabriel himself. 

“Thank you, Miss Tsurugi.” Gabriel said, extending a hand to the young woman. He knew Kagami wasn’t much on hugs from those not close to her, as he was the same. She took his hand and shook it firmly. 

“You’re welcome, Mister Agreste.” Kagami replied. After everything was officially cleared, and everyone was properly thanked, they all decided to return to their homes, as it was mutually agreed that was a bit too much excitement for one day. Gabriel insisted he drive them home- he was unsure if his heart can take anymore reckless driving and scares. After all members of the Agreste family were accounted for, Gabriel started the car. 

“It’s nice to have all five of us together again…” Nathalie said in relief. 

“But, Nathalie… there’s only four people here…” Adrien pointed out. Gabriel’s head turned to stare at Nathalie, his hand resting on the gear shifter. 

“I didn’t miscount.” Nathalie smiled a little. It took Adrien and Gabriel a minute, but it clicked. 

“Wait… are you pregnant?” Gabriel asked. Nathalie nods, as Gabriel leans over to give her a hug and a kiss. Adrien was also excited. 

“Nathalie, that’s great! I’m so excited.” Adrien leaned forward from the backseat and joined in the hug. Adeline couldn’t join, as she was strapped into her car seat, but she clapped. 

“Yay, baby!” She said, as she looked at Adrien. 

Nathalie nodded. “That’s right- baby. You were right, ma petite.” 

Adeline was happy, because Emilie fulfilled her birthday wish, and early by her surprise! The toddler remained quiet, as Nathalie and Adrien were excitedly talking about the baby- already. Gabriel was abnormally silent as well, trying to focus on the road, but also because his worries were creeping up on him again. Is this child going to have Adeline’s “unusual quirks, tendencies and abilities” as he would describe it? And what the hell did she even do to get so far away from the house? What kind of medical condition did she have, and is it even medical? He’s pretty sure miraculous magic could be involved, so time is certainly of the essence. Who knows what could happen if Adeline is left unchecked and around a miraculous for too long- and the possible outcomes frightened him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline's actions cause a large, long-held secret to come out.

Following Adeline’s disappearing stunt a few days prior, Gabriel had been closely monitoring his daughter’s every move. He couldn’t trust her to be alone. When he couldn’t be with her in person, he was watching her through the monitor still set up in her room. While Nathalie was completely sympathetic to his reasoning, she thought him being a helicopter over her was also not a good idea, or a realistic and permanent solution. This afternoon, Adeline was having another visit with Doctor Landeau. Since she was a bit older, the doctor believed that she could get more out of Adeline, in terms of valuable information. Gabriel was anxious about this, especially given the vanishing act. Just before they were about to leave, Gabriel had retrieved the butterfly miraculous. He removed his ascot, and affixed the jewel to his shirt, while Nathalie watched him.

“What are you doing?” She then asked. 

“Putting on the miraculous.” He said, as Nooroo appeared by him before going into hiding. . 

“For what reason?” 

“Security reasons.” 

Nathalie stared blankly. She was used to her husband’s bizarre motives after so many years. She didn’t understand his logic, but she supposed that if he didn't akumatize anyone while he was out… “...You don’t plan to akumatize anyone while you’re out, right?” 

“No, I don’t.” He wasn’t quite that dumb. He wouldn’t try something in a setting like that. 

“Okay, if you say so. Anyway, you two should probably get going. You’re going to be late.” 

He nodded, as he rushed up the stairs to retrieve Adeline- he couldn’t go without her. He told her it was time to go see her friend, Doctor Landeau, and she was seemingly excited for it. He got her shoes on, and then they headed outside to the car, where Gorilla was waiting for them. While sitting in the car, he fixed his tie, to make himself look more presentable. They promptly were driven to the hospital, and dropped them off at the entrance of the doctor’s offices. Gabriel took Adeline’s hand gently, as he led her inside, with her toddling just behind him. 

“Will you be a good girl for Doctor Landeau today?” 

Adeline giggled as she looked up at him. “Yes, Papa.” 

“Good.” He smiled down at her, gently squeezing her hand as they stepped foot into the waiting room again. He had signed her in, and then sat down on a chair. He allowed her to explore the room, making sure to keep an eye on her. Doctor Landeau came from the examination rooms, clipboard and file at hand. “Adeline?” She called, and the young girl perked up, and gave her attention towards the doctor. She looked to Gabriel, unsure of what to do.

“Go on, Adeline.” He motioned for her to run along. Adeline nodded once, before walking over to Doctor Landeau, and following her. She was escorted down the hallway, into a room at the end of the hallway. There were bean bag chairs, a table, and a big chair for the doctor. Adeline immediately plopped down into the red bean bag chair, smiling as her eyes tracked the movements Doctor Landeau made. The doctor sat in the chair across from her, and opened the file. 

“Hello Adeline, how are you today?” Doctor Landeau asked Adeline, pulling out a pen from the breast pocket of her jacket. 

“Good.” 

“Great, I’m glad to hear that. Now… how’s your friend doing?” 

Adeline thought for a moment, before she processed that she was referring to Emilie. 

“Good! More friends.” Adeline replied, with a confident smile on her face. 

Marie-Laure’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh? How many more?”

“Grand-père, grand-mère, Catherine.” 

The doctor blinked in astonishment, as she wrote down. “I see… and, do they look like your other friend? With big wings and robes?” 

Adeline nodded ,and the doctor was writing all this down, now even more. Catherine was particularly interesting to her. “Is Catherine a grown up?” 

“No. She baby.”

Doctor Landeau was even further intrigued- so she continued to pry into her head about Emilie, and now Alaire, Elaine and Catherine. In her years of working with children, she’d never worked with a child who was able to recall such information at her age. It seemed like that the young child was either very intelligent or very observant, but most likely a combination of the two. Indeed, the doctor determined that this child was special. She was deeply entangled within the paranormal, and while that was far out of her realm of knowledge, she still wanted to keep Adeline as a client. She wondered what goes on in the mind of someone who can talk to ghosts, and if it affects the brain in any way. Interesting questions, but she didn’t quite have the time today to analyze everything she wanted to. She got enough information to determine that aside from the intense paranormal connections, she was mentally sound. After jotting down her own thoughts, she stashed the piece of paper in Adeline’s file. 

Adeline watched intently. She was happy to have someone like Doctor Landeau, someone who finally understood her! She just wished that she could show her friends off to everyone- but it seems like only her, or other young kids could see the angels. She wasn’t sure why- what a shame. She was sure that her parents would love Emilie especially, and her mama would be happy to see her family again. Doctor Landeau stood up, and tucked the file under the clip of her clipboard. She grabbed Adeline by the hand, and slowly led her out to the waiting room, to reunite her with her father. 

As Doctor Landeau began to explain her findings to Gabriel- and she had quite a report of what she found, Adeline kept tugging at his pant leg. It was beginning to annoy him, so he picked her up, and sat her on his lap. She was quite fidgety, as she began to mess around with his ascot. He hardly noticed, or cared at the moment- he was far too concerned about his child’s well being than her playing with his tie. However, just as Doctor Landeau finished her report, he began to feel off. He couldn’t put his finger on what felt off, though. He shrugged it off as just a passing, isolated occurrence. He was surprised that a medical professional believed in the paranormal, and that his daughter was deeply entangled within it. How could he not take the doctor’s word? She was far more knowledgeable in this sort of field than him. He thanked her, and shook her hand. He stood up, and headed over to the receptionist to book another appointment. 

While he was doing that, Adeline admired the small, purple jewel she happened upon. She smiled at it, but knew she’d have to hide it. Thank goodness she had pockets in her little shawl she was wearing today. She placed the jewel into the breast pocket, smiling to herself. Her father looked at her, and she looked back at him with a smile. 

“Are you ready to go home, ma princesse?” 

“Yes, Papa. Addy sleepy.” She said, going to rest her head on his shoulder. 

He chuckled softly, fingers coming through her soft, dark locks once. “Alright, we’re going right now…” They exited the building, as Gabriel called for their ride. The Gorilla soon pulled up to the curb, as father and daughter entered the car. Once they were settled in and on their way, Gabriel realized what felt off- his miraculous was gone. He began to panic, but tried his best not to to show it- he didn’t want to set anyone else off, or accidentally expose himself. He was getting very impatient as they were riding home- he hoped that he never actually put it on and he remembered putting it on as a fallacy. They had finally reached their destination after what felt like an eternity in his scrambled thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief to himself, as he calmly made his way inside, Adeline in tow. He put her in her room, so that she could be well occupied, and contained. Once he closed her bedroom door, he raced down the stairs. 

Gabriel rushed into the atelier, a strong sense of panic evident on his face. He frantically opened the safe, as Nathalie quickly rose to her feet. 

“Gabriel, what’s wrong?” Nathalie sounded concerned. 

“The miraculous, it’s gone. I can’t find it.” He was panicking- now he’s almost sure that he didn’t pin it on securely, due to being in a rush. Nathalie’s eyes widened. 

“What do you mean it’s gone?!” 

“I don’t think I pinned it securely to my person… and it fell off of me when we were out.” He was in big trouble now. 

“Shit.  _ Please _ tell me you’re joking.” 

“Why would I joke about something like that, Nathalie?”

“I didn’t think it was a joke, but I was kind of hoping it was one…” 

Gabriel then rushed outside, in hopes of maybe it fell off of him while walking to or from the car at the mansion. He knew he was screwed if he couldn’t find that damn miraculous, and his panic was becoming harder and harder to control. How could he have been so stupid? 

Little did he know, the miraculous was safe, in the hands of Adeline. She pulled the gem out of her pocket, and examined it. She decided to affix it to the front of her dress. The butterfly kwami appeared from the miraculous and in front of her- and suddenly she felt several emotions overwhelming her tiny brain. Nooroo watched as the young girl seemed visibly frightened. He wasn’t particularly sure what to say, because he can’t recall any of the holders being so little. He tried to tone down the background emotions for her. Once he did, she began to panic less, and then look at him. 

“Just say, ‘Nooroo, wings rise’ to--”

“Nooroo, wings rise!” She exclaimed, to the best of her ability. The kwami found himself being sucked back into the brooch, and in a flash of light, she transformed. She looked at herself, and grinned. A light purple dress, a white belt with a butterfly shaped buckle, white knee-high boots, and a dark purple cape, pinned around her by the miraculous. Her hand went to her face, and she felt a butterfly shaped mask on her face. She grinned to herself, as she picked up her cane sword. However, as she held her hand over the top of it, she soon felt an overwhelming sense of fear, and dread. She began to feel slammed with what felt like every emotion in the book, trying her hardest. Regardless, she flipped the top of it open, and a butterfly came out, charged with negative energy. It began to fly around the room, and Adeline wanted to catch it so she could show Adrien how cool it was! After struggling to catch it, she ran to the door, pushing it open. Maybe Adrien can help her catch the butterfly. As the door opened, the butterfly flew out, and down the stairs, as Adeline darted towards Adrien’s room. She was hit with another intense surge of panic just as she reached the bedroom door. 

“Adri!! Help!” She screamed, as she fell on her knees. Adrien soon rushed to the door and opened it, and the sight before him left him horrified, and speechless. 

“A-Adeline? Oh my god, did Hawk Moth akumatize you?!” Adrien reeled. 

“Help me!” She yelled again, tears welling in her eyes as Adrien ran off into his bathroom. He called for Marinette, pleading for her to come as soon as possible- and as Ladybug. Chat Noir emerged from the bathroom, to let his lady in through the bedroom window. 

“What’s going on, Kitty?” 

“I think Hawk Moth akumatized my sister. We need to save her.” Chat said, pointing to where the girl was- and she was gone. “Wait-- oh no. We need to go looking for her. Now.” 

Ladybug nodded, as she and Chat Noir sprinted out of Adrien’s bedroom. “You look up here. I’ll look downstairs.” She said, as she ran down the stairs. As Ladybug entered the atelier, she looked around- the wall safe was wide open, and Nathalie was hiding underneath her desk in the corner. Nathalie looked up, and upon realizing it was Ladybug, breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, thank god, it’s just you, Ladybug.” Nathalie crawled out from her hiding place, and stood up. 

“What happened here, Mrs. Agreste?” Ladybug asked, while surveying the room. 

“My husband misplaced a priceless item and has been frantically searching for it. An akuma followed him outside.” She explained. It was a surprise to Ladybug, because Chat Noir said Adeline was akumatized. Ladybug decided to ignore the conflicting information. If this was true, 

“Thank you. Please, just be careful. Stay here.” Ladybug said. Nathalie nodded, as she sat down in the chair. Ladybug rushed outside, and found Gabriel on his knees. He was surrounded by a black and purple aura. She saw he was trying his best to fight off the akuma, but eventually he surrendered, too emotionally spent to resist any further. He rose to his feet, and opened his eyes- on his head was a helmet, a brassy gold with wings on the side, and what was visible of his hair was no longer platinum blonde, but a honey colored blonde instead. His eyes were a piercingly cold shade of blue, and he donned an outfit that made him look like the most majestic of Greek Gods. 

“I have to find it,  _ now _ .” He grumbled to himself, before rushing off, fast as the wind. Ladybug attempted to catch him by leaping for him and grabbing his ankles, but he was long gone. The wall that surrounded the property had a large hole in it. It collapsed with the destruction of its structural integrity. Instead, she fell flat on the ground, sighing as she picked herself up. Soon, Chat Noir joined her outside, quickly helping her up. 

“M’lady, are you alright? What’s going on?” 

“I’m alright. Your father got akumatized, though, and he ran off, fast as lightning.” 

“Well, where did he go?” 

“I don’t know, that’s the problem… I guess now’s a good time for a… Lucky charm!” She tossed her yoyo into the air, and a long, red and black spotted rope appeared. “A rope…? What am I supposed to do with this?” She looked around the yard, and her vision defined the staircase leading to the front door, and the pillars at the very bottom. 

“I hope your plan can be executed speedily… because I think he’s coming back.” 

Ladybug looked- seeing a cloud of dust rising in the distance, and fast approaching. She tossed Chat one end of the rope. “Quick, tie this around the first bar in the railing- towards the bottom.” She instructed him. Chat nodded, as he did as he was told. Ladybug did the same. The heroes hid just out of sight, as Hermes speedily rushed his way back. He ran through the iron gate, causing it to fall, and towards the staircase. The rope they had just tied caused him to trip, falling into the staircase. It cracked upon impact, as the force he had landed with caused the ground to shake. Ladybug quickly tossed her yoyo around his ankles, pulling the string taut. He’d be down for a while after an impact like that. 

“Where would the akuma be?” Chat asked, as he began to look for anything. Ladybug began to look, grabbing Hermes’ hand. The wedding band on his finger could be it, but, what about his helmet? 

“It’s in the ring, or the helmet.” She said, as she was trying to coerce the ring off his finger. 

“Okay, but which one?” 

She looked between the helmet, and the ring in her hand. “The ring. It has to be. That helmet is stuck to him.” 

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir called, hand glowing black as Ladybug unwound her yoyo from Hermes’ ankles. She dropped the ring into his hand, and it crumbled to dust. A butterfly emerged, and Ladybug prepared to capture the nasty bug. Chat untied the lucky charm rope from around the railings, and handed it to his partner. Once the butterfly was purified, together, they tossed the rope into the air and summoned the magical ladybugs. Gabriel quickly transformed back to his regular self, managing to sit himself up as he rubbed his head. He wasn’t sure of what happened. He was out here just searching for his miraculous, and now he’s sitting on the stairs with Chat Noir and Ladybug by his side. He recognized he was just akumatized, but by who? Who could have found it and knew what to do with it? Nathalie came out, and ran down the stairs to sit beside him, smiling a little as she put a hand on his back. 

“Ladybug, Chat Noir… Thank you.” Nathalie said with much gratitude. She looked to Gabriel, who couldn’t even seem to get his thoughts together. “...My husband thanks you as well.” 

The heroes smiled, but then realized they were still on a search mission.

“No trouble at all, ma’am. But my partner and I have to run now.” Chat said, as he side-eyed Ladybug. She nodded, seeming to have the same thought he did as they took off, with their weapons and headed in separate directions. Once they were just out of sight for the couple, the hero pair met at the back part of the Agreste mansion walls. Chat Noir clung onto Ladybug, as she swung them over the wall. Once over the wall, she anchored her yoyo onto a nearby railing underneath a neighboring window. She hoisted them up. They took turns, leaping from the railing, and to the open window. Chat pulled her in, as she brushed herself up. 

“Thanks, Kitty.” She smiled. As they were about to look for Adeline again, the small child sat up in Adrien’s loft. She looked absolutely exhausted. The timer on her miraculous wore off, and she transformed back into Adeline. The heroes were mindblown, as they rushed up into the loft to be beside her. Ladybug eyed the brooch pinned to the young girl, and pulled it off swiftly. 

“Adeline… are you okay?” Chat asked. 

“Addy okay.” She replied, looking absolutely tired. Ladybug assessed the toddler. 

“The effects of the miraculous was too much for her mentally- which is why she’s so exhausted.” She determined, as she came to a realization-- this was Hawk Moth’s miraculous. Adeline must have found it from her. 

“Adeline, you shouldn’t be using that. You could have gotten hurt, and you could have gotten others hurt. That’s not what you want, is it?” 

“No…” 

“Good. Maybe when you’re older, you’ll get chosen to use a miraculous.” Chat said, smiling. Addy smiled as well, giving him a hug. 

Ladybug stared at the miraculous in her hand, and then to Adeline. She cleared her throat. “Where did you find this, Adeline?” 

“Papa.” Adeline said. 

Ladybug audibly gasped, hands covering her mouth as she gawked at the toddler. Chat Noir felt his stomach drop to his feet, as he just stared blankly at his sister. 

A veil had finally been lifted from an age old mystery. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The veils have been lifted, but then, there's a problem that needs to be solved, urgently.

Once his initial surprise wore off, Chat Noir felt rage boiling deep within him. He removed himself from the toddler. All these years, and his sworn enemy was his own father? He felt betrayed, lied, and devastated. He wanted to eliminate Hawk Moth for good- to him, he was just some no good person… but that no good person was his own father- a man who he loved and admired, from the distance between them. He hung his head for a moment, before he looked at Ladybug. She could see the fury in his eyes, and she was concerned that he was going to hurt himself, or his father. “I’m going to settle this.” He told her, remaining perfectly calm as he spoke. He threw himself over the edge of the loft, and made his way to the door. 

“Chat Noir, wait!” Ladybug called. She was afraid of what could go wrong, and knowing Chat, it could be several things. He ignored her pleas and marched down the stairs, and outside. Gabriel and Nathalie were still seated on the exterior stairs. He approached them, and looked down at him. 

“Hello again, Mister Agreste… or should I say, Hawk Moth.” Chat greeted Gabriel, his voice colder than the ice in Antarctica. Gabriel’s face paled again, turning around and wide eyed as he looked at Chat Noir. Nathalie turned around as well, keeping her best straight face. 

“How--” 

“We found your miraculous in the wrong hands.” Chat Noir replied. Gabriel and Nathalie saw suppressed rage in the black cat hero’s eyes. 

“Who took it?” Gabriel was beginning to get angry himself. Whoever found his miraculous and used it against him will pay. 

“Someone named Adeline… She did pretty well for someone her age.” As Chat Noir told him, Gabriel suddenly felt ill. How could his daughter do this to him? She couldn’t have-- and the ill feeling turned into anger. 

His hand turned into a fist, “how  _ dare  _ you accuse my daughter of such a thing? She’s an angel. She would never steal.” 

“Father, I  _ saw _ her wearing the miraculous!! Ladybug saw her too! Adeline akumatized you!” Chat Noir shouted. He covered his mouth, realizing the slip up he just made and exposing himself in the process. Ladybug stood there in shock, having overheard him shouting from the doorway she stood in. Gabriel’s ill feeling returned with a vengeance. All this time, his own son was his worst enemy. Nathalie was horrified as well. 

“Wait… Adrien, you’re Chat…” He trailed off, absolutely horrified over the past more than ever, “what have I done? My god...” Gabriel replied, as he hung his head. He was ashamed of himself. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Adrien directly. 

“Oh,  _ now _ you’re sorry?! What about all the other times? Or are you only sorry because you found it was me you’re fighting? Do you even care about me?!” His hand curled into a fist. Ladybug rushed over, still holding the dormant butterfly miraculous in her hand. She had a feeling things were about to get ugly. 

Gabriel grit his teeth, and the ice in his eyes melted within the fires of his fury. “Everything I did as Hawk Moth was for you!! Every single damn thing was all for you, and for our family! Nathalie and I just wanted you to be happy!” 

  
  


“...Wait. Nathalie. You were Mayura?” 

Nathalie nodded, looking ashamed of herself. Adrien looked even more distraught, anger turning into disappointment. A woman he looked up to was also his enemy. His own father was his worst enemy. There were countless times he wanted to kill him, just so Paris was at peace. But he could never do that to his own father. His fingers relaxed from their fist. He was getting tired of being angry. “But… why, Nathalie?” 

“Love makes you do crazy things, Adrien. I loved your father enough that I wanted to help him achieve his goal, no matter the cost. Even if the peacock miraculous was broken.” 

Ladybug froze, feeling the smallest hairs on her neck stand up. “Wait, the peacock miraculous was… broken?” 

Gabriel nodded, “Yes. It was very cracked. However, I fixed it using a transcribed version of the grimoire I obtained. Actually Adrien, I think it’s time that I told you what really happened to your mother.”

“Okay, go on.” Adrien was now more nervous. Just how much was his father holding back from him?

Gabriel swallowed, yet he felt his throat becoming dry. “Well... your mother’s sickness. It was caused by the broken miraculous. I tried several times to get her to stop, but she just wouldn’t listen. She insisted that ‘it was fine’, and that she was fine. I never understood what she wanted with that damn magic anyway. One day, after she used it, she collapsed, and never woke again. I tried to hide what was going on from you, because I didn’t want to see your mother like that. I didn’t want you to remember her like that.” 

Adrien huffed, feeling himself becoming heated. “Well, I would have liked to see her… before she went. I didn’t get to say goodbye to her…” He then realized something. His father knew the miraculous was broken, and Nathalie was using the same miraculous that his mom apparently did. “So, you made Nathalie wear that same miraculous?” 

“He didn’t make me, Adrien. I took it up, because your father was about to lose and needed my help to not be defeated. Even if he refuses to admit it.” 

“Okay…” Ladybug replied, “But why did you two want our miraculous? 

Can you tell us what wish you wanted to make?” 

Nathalie and Gabriel looked at each other. She grabbed his hand with hers, and held it. His fingers curled around her hand as he squeezed it gently. She nodded at him, to tell him to go on. “Adrien, I… I wanted both of your miraculous to bring your mother back, Adrien.” 

To say that they were surprised as a bit of an understatement. Chat Noir and Ladybug’s eyes widened. His sadness only grew deeper. He would have loved to have his mother back, but he knew what would happen elsewhere if that were to happen. It was for the good of everyone else that the wish didn’t happen. His hand went to his chest as his fingers curled into a fist. His tears began to flow in vain, as he tried his hardest to not let anyone else see. Ladybug was dismayed, as she went to give Chat Noir a hug. “But Mister Agreste… did you even know what kind of effect on everyone and everything else in the world?” 

“I didn’t give a shit about everyone else. All I cared about was me and my family. I could have cared less of who would have been sacrificed.” He replied coldly. It was the truth. 

“So you did know. I saw exactly what happened when you got your wish, and it was not pretty.” 

“...I had a feeling it wouldn’t be.” 

“So, then why did you still want to go through with your wish?” 

Gabriel heaved a sigh. He really didn’t want to have to explain more than he needed to. “Do I have to?” 

“If you want any chance of keeping the miraculous, then yes, you better.” Ladybug’s glare pierced through him like daggers.

He swallowed dryly once more. “Okay, okay. I wanted to make this wish so that Adrien would be happy again. After Emilie… died, he was always unhappy. I wasn’t good enough. He needed his mother.” Something in Adrien snapped. He had transformed back to Adrien, as he turned to look at Gabriel. 

“You wanted to bring her back just because you thought that would magically make me happy again?! Are you  _ serious _ ?! You were hellbent on possibly killing me, and Ladybug, so that you could bring back my mom? You didn’t stop to think that maybe paying attention to me and for ONCE and being there for me more during the hardest moment of my life would have helped!?” He was furious, now shouting at him. He was coming over to Gabriel now. 

Gabriel looked at his son, and stood up to finally meet him, eye to eye. “You didn’t think I was hurting just as much as you were? I had no intentions of killing anyone. You reminded me so much of her and it hurt me. Being Hawk Moth, and knowing that I was terrorizing the city to try and fix our family just made me feel guilty every time I looked at you. I knew you would be ashamed of me, and it would further ruin our family.” 

“Yeah, of course I’d be ashamed of you for being Hawk Moth! You were trying to fix our family by being evil! Why did you think that would work?! For someone who’s an intelligent businessman, you’re really stupid when it comes to your own family.” Adrien snarled. Ladybug stepped forward, as she grabbed Adrien’s arms. She could tell he was ready to throw a punch or slap him. 

“Adrien, please, just be quiet for a second and let me talk.” Ladybug said, as she looked to Gabriel. She wasn’t angry at him- in fact, she couldn’t help but pity him somewhat. “Mister Agreste. What made you change your mind and stop pursuing your goal?”

Gabriel looked to his wife, and smiled at her. “Nathalie was the main reason. She was always there for me- from when I was being bullied in school, to when I started my business, and when I got married, Adrien’s birth… Losing Emilie. Nathalie never left my side, despite there being many times and good reasons when she could have left. She was always a ray of light in my darkness, no matter how dark it was. She kept me together and sane, especially when I thought I couldn’t hold myself together. She was always there for Adrien, ever since he was little. When Nathalie got pregnant with Adeline, I knew that I couldn’t continue. For Nathalie’s health, and the new life within her. For Adrien, and for him to no longer be at risk with each akuma, though I suppose that was a moot concern knowing what I know now. I had a nightmare, and it made me realize that even if I was able to fulfil my wish, that nothing would be the same as it was in the past. I knew I had to try and be better, and Nathalie helped me with that, especially with a new child on the way. I just wanted to be a better parent to Adrien, and to Adeline, and now the new baby we are expecting. Giving up evil made me able to reforge my family- a little differently than I envisioned, but it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want to give up anything for what I have now.” 

Once he had wrapped up his monologue, the other three of them simply stared at him. Adrien was speechless- he learned so much about his father he didn’t even realize just from that speech alone. He was no longer angry, the build up tension in his arms melting away as he took a moment to reflect. Maybe he misjudged his father. Nathalie was in tears, moved by Gabriel’s words, but also influenced by hormones as a result of pregnancy. She was being pulled in for a hug by him. Ladybug smiled a little. She was truly moved by his speech. She could tell that he truly was trying to change himself for the better. “Thank you, Mister Agreste… for being honest. I can see you’re trying to be better, and I’m so glad that Nathalie was able to help you.” 

“I’m glad she was too. It terrifies me to know where I may be if she wasn’t here for me and Adrien.” Gabriel mumbled, as he gave Nathalie a gentle, quick kiss on the lips. He wiped her tears with his thumb gently, as he held her close. Ladybug looked at Adrien, and then let go of his arms. 

“Are you okay?” Ladybug whispered to him. 

“I think so. I’m just… a little overwhelmed. I wasn’t expecting that.” 

“Expecting what?” 

“Well, all of  _ that _ . It was a loaded response and I’m… not sure how to respond.” 

Ladybug smiled as she hugs Adrien. His arms wrapped around her, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. From over Ladybug’s shoulder, Adrien looked to his father, still holding Nathalie. Gabriel’s gaze met Adrien’s for a second- but he had to look away again. Guilt consumed his soul as his grip on Nathalie tightened- but Gabriel finally had the right words to say to his son. 

“Adrien.” 

“Yes, Father?” 

“I’m sorry. For everything.” When the words left his lips, so did the weight sitting upon his shoulders. 

Adrien shot straight up, eyes wide as the initial surprise wore off- and the apology, though short, meant more to him than he realized. He’s seen his father trying his hardest to be better, and that only reinforced the belief that his short apology was sincere. Adrien finally found the right words. “I forgive you, Father.” 

Gabriel was a little surprised that his son forgave him so quickly. “But, why? I’ve been so blind and selfish.” 

“You’re my father, that’s why. You admitted what you were doing was wrong, and it takes a lot to admit something like that. I know you’re trying, and I trust you. I learned a lot about you, and misjudged you. You’ve always cared for and loved me… but you just weren’t very good at showing it.” 

“I still don’t think I am.” 

“Well, I think you’re doing much better with me, and you’re doing well with Adeline… And I’m sure Nathalie would agree.” Adrien looked to Nathalie, who nodded silently with a smile on her lips. 

“Thank you, Adrien, and Nathalie. That means a lot.” Gabriel was grateful for his son’s forgiveness. Adrien looked to Ladybug, and she nodded wordlessly. They released each other, and Adrien walked over to his father and stepmother. His arms wrapped around his father, smiling softly. Gabriel tensed up, but quickly pulled his son close. “And Adrien… I’m very proud of you. You’re a great hero. You and Ladybug are great together.” 

Adrien smiled warmly. It was nice to hear some positive reinforcement. “Thanks, Dad… I’m sorry for that one time I called you grandpa on L’Arc de Triomphe.” 

Gabriel chuckled dryly, “That’s alright.” Ladybug smiled at the family, satisfied that the conversation went so well. It went far better than she expected it to turn out. However, she was still worried about the youngest member of the Agreste family and how her body is faring after using the miraculous. She had put her in bed, asleep, but she wanted to make sure no other symptoms were manifesting. 

“Excuse me, Mister Agreste, but may I go check on your daughter? I just want to make sure she didn’t make herself sick.” Ladybug asked. 

“Yes, of course. We’ll be up there shortly.” He told her. Ladybug nodded, as she entered the mansion once again. She headed up the stairs and rounded the corner. Adeline was still asleep on her bed, however, Ladybug noticed the young girl’s face was flushed, and her hair sticking to her face due to sweat. That couldn’t be good. She approached the sleeping toddler, and felt her forehead. Adeline was absolutely running a fever. Soon the rest of the Agrestes joined Ladybug and Adeline. 

“Oh no… what’s wrong?” Adrien asked. 

“She’s running a fever… it seems pretty bad.” Ladybug fretted. Adeline began to wake up, eyes slowly opening as she looked up at Gabriel, Nathalie and Adrien. She coughed, as she tried to sit up, but immediately collapsed back onto her bed. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Nathalie asked, with panic. 

“I think the overload of miraculous magic is affecting her. The residual magic is making her very sick. If this fever continues on too long, things will get ugly.” 

Gabriel quickly scooped up his daughter and held her. Adeline looked up at him, whimpering helplessly. He couldn’t help but stroke her hair, but winced as she felt how warm she was. “Well, what do we do? Will giving her medicine work?” 

“No, because normal medicine doesn’t work on magic-afflicted illnesses… but I think there’s a cure in the grimoire.” Ladybug said, as she looked to Adrien. 

“Is there anything we can do in the meantime?” Nathalie asked, as she held her daughter’s hand. 

“I would get her into a cool bath. It’ll lower her body temperature and make her feel better until I can find the cure. Don’t make it too cold though- it’ll put her into shock.” 

The parents nodded, as they rushed off to the master bathroom. Their hearts were breaking for their little girl. She was extremely sick, and Gabriel felt so guilty, because he wasn’t careful enough. Ladybug watched them leave the room, and then, she began to panic. She put her hands on her face. 

“Marinette, what’s wrong?” 

“I’m scared, Adrien…” She said, tears in her eyes. “What if I mess something up? What if the cure doesn’t work and I ruin everything?” 

“Come on, Marinette, don’t say that. I believe in you. Nathalie and my father believe in you too. You’re going to do just fine. Would you feel better if I came along with you?” 

“Yes, please. And with your help, we can find a solution and make it faster. I think you and I work better as a team.” 

Adrien smiled, as he transformed back into Chat Noir. “You’re right, m’lady, we do. Come on, let’s get a move on.” 

She nodded, as they exited, running out of her bedroom, and out the front door. Ladybug was worried that if they don’t act fast enough and gather the remedy ingredients fast enough, that it will mean trouble. The superhero duo ran as fast as they could to the bakery. Just before, they decided to turn a corner, just out of window shot, and transform back to their civilian forms. They pretended to casually walk in, and both were greeted by Sabine and Tom. 

“Hey there kids! Where have you been off to?” Tom asked, as he placed the freshly baked tray of cookies on the counter to cool. 

“Oh you know… at the park. Enjoying the nice weather!” Marinette said, as she grinned sheepishly. She was slowly walking towards the door to get to their living quarters, and Adrien was just behind her. 

“That’s nice to hear, dear. Can we get you two some cookies to snack on?” Sabine asked. 

“That sounds great, Ms. Cheng. Thank you.” Adrien said, as he nodded to Marinette. 

“I’ll meet you in my room, Adrien.  _ Really _ gotta go to the bathroom, ya know?” She said to him. Tom and Sabine looked at their daughter kind of funny, as she raced up the stairs, to get a headstart on searching for that cure. Adrien waited patiently downstairs as Sabine was picking some cookies for them. 

“How are you parents, Adrien?” Tom asked. 

“They’re fine.” 

“And how about your sister?” 

Adrien tensed up a little. “She’s good as well.” Adrien lied. He folded his hands behind his back, just like his father would do. Sabine then handed Adrien a small box of cookies. Adrien smiled and headed towards the door to access the upper floors. “Thank you for the cookies, Mr. Dupain and Ms. Cheng!” He called to them as he entered through the door and immediately began to race up the flights of stairs. When he got to Marinette’s room, he saw her kneeling on the ground, desperately searching through her room. He set the box of the cookies down and began to help her search, but after a few minutes, she flopped onto her back and covered her face with her hands. 

“Marinette! What’s wrong?!” Adrien ran over to her and knelt beside her. 

“I-I can’t find the grimoire! It’s gone!” 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien save the day again.

“Marinette…” Adrien said quietly, but she didn’t seem to hear him over her panic. “Marinette! Calm down. I’m sure the grimoire isn’t gone… It’s somewhere around here. Just… take a deep breath, alright?” He instructs her and gently pats her shoulder. . 

She nodded, and took a deep breath. She held the air in her lungs for a moment before exhaling softly. Her head tilted back as she repeated the process. Her eyes closed, and her panic melted away. “You’re right, you’re right… let’s look again...” She replied, as she sat herself up. Her eyes opened, as Adrien began to search her room once again. She pulled herself to her feet, and walked over towards her desk. She began to search again, gingerly pushing aside various trinkets and items around on her desk to look for the grimoire. He was searching through her closet, behind a box, he found a book. It was delicately wrapped with a custom made book cover- silk and with a floral pattern on it. He pulled it out of the closet. 

“Is this it?” He asked.

Marinette looked over her shoulder. “I think so. Let me see.” Adrien walked across the room, and presented her with the book. She took it, and opened it. She smiled, relieved she hadn’t lost the book and grateful for him finding it. “Yes! This is it! Oh, thank you, Adrien!” She kissed his cheek. He blushed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“You’re welcome, Marinette.” He said, as he watched her flipping through the grimoire, before opening to the section about magical mystery cures and remedies. Her eyes scanned each page closely, trying to find the correct ailment based off of the pictures that were scattered through the text. She grumbled to herself as she looked at Adrien. He looked back at her, slightly confused. “Is there something you need?” 

“Check in on your family for me. I need a more thorough list of her symptoms. Just to be sure. A fever is too vague- a lot of the ailments listed in this book have a fever as a symptom… and I can’t just guess- if I give her the wrong cure, it could make her worse than better.”

He nodded, as he pulled out his cellphone. Under his favorite contacts, he selected Nathalie’s number. As the number dialed automatically, he sat himself on the chaise. He was anxious waiting for an answer.

* * *

Nathalie was peering over her husband’s shoulder, trying her best not to get too emotional in front of Adeline. She couldn’t take looking at her child in such a sick state and it broke her heart, but she was afraid if she had begun to cry, it would only exacerbate her condition. Gabriel had removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, as he scooped up some of the cool water, and poured it over Adeline’s forehead. Adeline’s eyes opened just a little, looking up at her parents. She remained silent, unable to speak- though she wasn’t able to determine if it was a symptom caused by the unmatched intensity of miraculous magic surging through her, or because of the intense lack of energy and willpower to say anything. While she felt much cooler now that she was submerged in the cool water; her body felt too heavy to her. Heavy, and as if she had been hit by a train. Her eyes fluttered shut once again, as she choked a strained whine from her throat. She felt her father’s hand brushing the wet strands of hair away from her face and out of her eyes.

  
  


He turned to Nathalie. “My love, get a washcloth and wet it with cold water. I think it would be a good idea to place it on her forehead-- it may help lower her temperature.” He frowned, looking at his daughter. He didn’t even know what to say to make her feel better.

Nathalie nodded, as she turned away to retrieve a washcloth from the linens closet. As she turned the cold water faucet on, and began to soak the dingy pink colored terry washcloth, she felt a vibration in her pocket- an incoming phone call. After wringing out the excess water from the cloth, and handing it to Gabriel, she answered. He placed the wash cloth on her head, and she winced as the cool object made contact with her skin. Adeline could hear her mother talking, but she couldn’t comprehend the words she was saying- words sounding more like white noise and holding absolutely no meaning whatsoever. Now her father was talking to her, again, she couldn’t comprehend everything that he was saying. She understood him calling her name, but that was about all she could understand. Her eyes opened, and she looked at him. She had no idea how to reply to nonsense. Whatever she had just done, it seemed to have caused him some distress. Her brain felt disconnected from reality, and lost in a fog. 

Gabriel looked to Nathalie. He really wasn’t sure what to do. “List glassed-over eyes as a symptom.” He muttered, as he grabbed Adeline’s hand. Nathalie nodded, as she detailed the symptoms further. She urged Adrien and Marinette to hurry, because it seems like the longer they wait, the further from reality the young girl was drifting. 

* * *

Adrien nodded as he hung up the phone. “Alright, so Nathalie told me that Adeline’s exhibiting symptoms were… extreme fatigue, fever, glassy eyes, and seemingly to be in some form of pain. She also said that Adeline wasn’t really responding to them, almost like she didn’t understand them.” 

Marinette’s face fell as she was flipping through the book. “That sounds like her brain is being magically rewired as a result of the miraculous.” 

“That doesn’t sound good.” 

“It’s not. If we’re too late, the cure won’t fully work. We really need to get a move on.” She said, as she found the cure page. “Ah, great! I found it!” Her eyes quickly scanned the page to see what the cure constitutes. “Okay, this doesn’t look too bad… but I’m going to need your help, Adrien.” 

Adrien perked up at Marinette needing his help to make the cure. “Of course, I’ll be happy to help you. What do you want me to do?”

Marinette laid the book on the floor, opened to the correct page, as she went into her closet. From her closet, she retrieved a shoebox, nicely decorated in the same fabric in which the grimoire book cover was made. She sits back down in front of the book, placing the box to her right and opening it up. In the box contained small vials of potion ingredients, trying to look for the right ones. “I need you to grab the milk and honey from the kitchen. And the measuring spoons… and the sugar.” 

“Yes m’lady.” He said, rushing out of the room, and down a flight of stairs to the Dupain-Cheng's kitchen. He grabbed a carton of milk from the refrigerator, and searched the cabinets. He grabbed a jar of honey, and the bag of sugar. He tapped his chin, trying to recall the last item he needed. Seeing a stray spoon on the counter reminded him- it was the measuring spoons. He opened drawer after drawer, trying to locate the set of measuring spoons, though it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Eventually, he found them, pulling them out by the ring keeping the set together. He gathered the ingredients in his arms, as he ran back up to Marinette’s room. When he returned, he saw her grinding up a mix of what looked like flowers and other minerals in a mortar with a pestle. She looked up. 

“Ah, you got it! Great!” She said, as she looked up. He sat beside her, as she grabbed an empty tube from the ornately decorated shoebox. She forced the tube into Adrien’s hands. “Hold this for me and open it when I tell you to.” He nodded again. Marinette opened the milk carton, adding a few big measuring spoonfuls of milk to the mortar. She sets the milk to the side, and then adds in one, heaping tablespoon of honey to the mix. Last was the three teaspoons of sugar. Using a spoon, she began to stir the mixture together. It was starting to do something, beginning to faintly glow a golden yellow. Marinette pulled out a vial, filled with some sort of glittery dust. He wasn’t too sure what it was- but he figured it was important. She unscrewed the cap, and added a few shakes of the magical substance. The potion’s glow became more prominent, its warm glow casting from the mortar as she picked up the bowl. “Uncap the tube.” 

Adrien nodded, unscrewing the cap of the tube with his right hand. He held the tube out in front of her, as she poured the glowing elixir into it. He replaced the cap, as Marinette looked around her room. “I’ll clean this up later. Come on, let’s go.” She muttered. 

“Yeah, let’s go. Take the elixir, I’ll put the milk, honey and sugar away as we leave.” He said, as he gathered the supplies they had borrowed from the kitchen. As they were leaving, they put the supplies back where they found them, and the measuring spoons in the sink to wash later.

* * *

Adeline found herself in her own dream realm again. It was empty, and she was sitting alone in a never ending, white, vast void. She called for Emilie, and she appeared before her, though she did not seem too happy at the moment. Adeline knew she did something bad- and she felt bad physically to match the emotion. She was sure this was her punishment for 

“Adeline Aurora Elaine Sancoeur Agreste, you knew better than to take that miraculous from your papa like that, and use it. I told you, it was far too dangerous for someone your age to handle that. You could have gotten really hurt, or worse…” Emilie scolded Adeline. Adeline looked ashamed of herself. She couldn’t look at Emilie. 

“I sorry.” Adeline finally said, looking at the angelic figure. The child was on her knees now, hands folded before her body, as if she was saying a prayer. Emilie got down on one knee in front of her, and reached a hand for her face. She tilted the young girl’s chin up to look at her. 

“I forgive you, Adeline… but you should not say you’re sorry to me… you should say that to your father. It was his miraculous that you stole. I know you can’t apologize now… since you can’t physically talk to him, but when your affliction is cured.” Adeline nodded, as she went to hug Emilie. She embraced the child gently, and patted her back. 

“Addy bad girl.” Adeline said solemnly, gripping onto Emilie’s robes. She was pleasantly surprised by the feel of the robes between her fingers and on her palms. 

“Oh, Adeline…. You’re not a bad girl, you’re just very young and you made a mistake. Hopefully you learned something today, and you won’t do it again. Do you promise me you won’t take things without permission from your parents, or your big brother next time? Especially with things you don’t know anything about?” 

Adeline nodded. However, she may have interpreted Emilie’s request differently than intended. The butterfly miraculous was now off limits for the young girl… but Emilie had never said anything about the peacock miraculous. In her eyes, it was fair game for her use, and to bring Emilie, and her grandparents back. It’d make Adrien and her parents happy to see their loved ones again, and she wants to be the one to bring that to them. “I be good.” 

“Yes, you are, and you’ll continue to be when you awaken.” Emilie told her. She looked out from Adeline’s dream realm, into the real world.

* * *

“Is she dead?” Nathalie asked as her voice cracked. The lack of response Adeline was giving to them was frightening her on a whole new level. 

“No, no… she’s still very alive, just sleeping heavily.…” Gabriel said, now starting to worry. Where was Ladybug, Adrien, and the cure? What could be holding them up? While still holding his daughter’s hand, he began to tap his fingers on the edge of the tub. The sound of quick footsteps in the distance caught his attention. That had to be them- who else could it be? The footsteps grew louder and more intense, until Adrien and Marinette entered the master bathroom, both of them clearly out of breath. 

“H-here, Mister Agreste… t-the cure…” Marinette said between her breaths. She fumbled around in her bag, and pulled out a tube, filled with a glowing, off white liquid. Gabriel took the tube from her, and opened it quickly- and then he realized… Marinette was Ladybug.

“Thank you, Marinette...” He replied, as he tried to rouse Adeline. “Ma princesse… please, wake up.” He said gently, trying to shake her. She didn’t wake up, so he tried again. Nothing still. Maybe it was too late. He tried again, calling her name as he tried to keep himself together. He couldn’t break yet. She finally woke up. Gabriel held the cure to her lips, instructing her to drink it. Adeline feebly began to consume it, and within seconds, it was beginning to take effect. Once she had finished the entire tube. She sat herself up fully, wrapping her arms around her torso as she began to shiver. 

“Papa… I’m cold.” She whined, shivering as she just wanted to get out of the cold water. Marinette, Adrien, Gabriel and Nathalie breathed a sigh of relief- the cure was fully effective. Adeline had seemingly made a full recovery. She was full of life, no longer as hot as a furnace, and responding normally. Nathalie had grabbed a big, fluffy towel, and Gabriel took it. He picked her up from the water, and bundled her up with the towel and held her close. 

“I know you’re cold, ma fée…” He said softly. He couldn’t let her go. “Are you feeling better?” 

Adeline nodded. She was feeling much better, but she was ashamed of her actions. She must do what Emilie told her she should do. “I sorry, Papa.” 

He had almost forgotten Adeline had stolen his miraculous from him, and akumatized him, and quite frankly, he didn’t even care how upset he was about it at first- he, and everyone else, were just glad that she was no longer at risk of dying. “It’s okay… just please don’t touch Papa or anyone else’s things without asking first.” Adeline nodded, as she pressed her face into Gabriel’s shoulder. He smiled gently as he looked at Marinette and Adrien. 

“Marinette, Adrien. Thank you. You’re both an exceptional team- as Ladybug and Chat Noir, or as Marinette and Adrien.” Gabriel said. The teenagers smiled, as they looked at each other. They bumped their fists together, as they’re known to do once they’ve saved the day. 

“It was no trouble at all, Mister Agreste… Right Adrien?” Marinette asked, as she looked to Adrien. 

“It really was no problem… thanks to Marinette.” Adrien responded. Marinette gave Adrien a hug, and Gabriel and Nathalie smiled. 

Marinette blushed lightly. “Oh, stop… you helped just as much as me.” Just as Gabriel was about to step out of the bathroom to get Adeline dressed, Marinette said, “Oh, Mister Agreste? I’ve decided something…” 

He paused. “And what’s that?” 

“You can keep both the butterfly and peacock miraculous- so long as you two one, keep them well locked up from Adeline…. And two, will help us fight against evil when we call upon you. Do we have a deal?” Marinette asked. Adrien watched on, hopeful his father would agree. 

Gabriel looked to Nathalie, who was cleaning up around the bathtub, and draining the water- and she nodded. “Yes, you have yourself a deal.” Marinette and Gabriel shook hands, before he left the room. Nathalie stood up from the kneeling position she was in at the edge of the bathtub, looking at them with a smile. 

“Adrien… I’m proud of you for handling yourself so well in that situation. You could have reacted so poorly, but you controlled yourself so well.” Nathalie said, as she gives Adrien a hug. 

He was caught off guard- but hugged Nathalie back as well. “Of course, Nathalie. He’s my father, and I still love him. Even if he wasn’t always so nice to me, or really ever there for me. I could have disowned him and been angry about him being a supervillain… but I know he’s not lying when he said he’s changed, so it was easy to try and forgive him. I never could see things from his eyes, but when I did, I knew I could forgive him.” 

Nathalie smiled, and patted Adrien’s back. “Well, I’m glad you two are closer than ever now. I’m proud of you both.” 

Adrien broke apart from him. “Thank you, Nathalie. Actually, Marinette and I should probably go… we have to clean up the mess we made in her room.” He chuckled. Nathalie nodded, and the three of them parted ways as they exited the master bathroom and bedroom. Nathalie walked into Adeline’s room, happy to see Gabriel sitting in the chair, holding their child as they were reading a book- one about fairies. Nathalie was relieved that her daughter was back to normal. However, they all remain blissfully unaware of the side effects from the cure, yet to manifest. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot learned and discovered- about Adeline, and about Nathalie's baby.

After Adeline had been cured of the magical overload, there had been a few instances of objects randomly shifting out of place. Over the next two months, Gabriel, Nathalie and Adrien had swore to each other that something wasn’t quite right, particularly when the youngest child was around. It seemed like that things were slightly off balance with her around. Adrien expressed his concerns to Marinette. Upon looking into the cure, there were a list of side effects that include enhanced magic abilities, though it was rare. Of course Adeline had to be the rare case that this occurred to. Adrien thinks his sister can see ghosts- after all, that would explain why she had started acting skittish around cemeteries. It must have been overwhelming for her to see so many spirits at once. Gabriel and Nathalie still can’t put their finger on what exactly is going on- but they figure she’s seeing something. As Nathalie’s belly has been growing, so has Adeline’s curiosity about the baby. She was always asking questions about it- when will it be here, how does it grow, why does it take so long, and can it hear her. Very cute, but also irritating after a while. Nathalie was just glad the young girl was so receptive to a new sibling. 

To sate the young child’s curiosity about the baby, she elected to bring her, and Gabriel along to her next appointment. Today, they were finding out the sex of the baby. Or rather, the doctor will find out, write it down in secrecy so they can take it to Tom and Sabine to make special cupcakes for Adrien and Adeline. She figured it would be fun, and the kids would appreciate a sweet treat. Would she end up regretting bringing an overzealous and curious child to a doctor’s office? Perhaps, but that’s why she brought reinforcement. It was time to go now. 

“Are you ready, Gabriel?” Nathalie asks, as she stood in the doorway. 

He nodded. He had already fetched their daughter, and was holding her hand as they walked towards Nathalie. “Yes, let’s go. Adeline, are you excited to see your sibling?” 

Adeline nodded, clutching her two pony plushies to her chest. She had attempted to smuggle all six of them with her for the visit, however, Gabriel limited her to two, as she could barely hold all six of her ponies at once and he didn’t want to carry all of them for her. It was a tough choice for her, but she ended up rationalizing with herself to bring Fluttershy to spread kindness, and Pinkie Pie, to spread joy and laughter. The three of them headed to the car, and set off to the doctor’s office. Adeline was contentedly staring out the window, and also showing her ponies the sites of Paris. She had quite the imagination, and truly believed in the magic of friendship. Gabriel looked in the rearview mirror to check on his daughter, and Nathalie smiled at him. She was glad to have him here- this was his first time coming along to seeing this child on the ultrasound. 

Once they got to the doctor’s office, Gabriel parked the car. He and Nathalie exited, as he walked to the back door of the car. He smiled at her, and unbuckled her from her carseat. He picked her up, and she giggled a little. She was still holding onto her pony dolls. 

“Addy walk.” She then said. 

He looked at her, and then set her down. “Alright, alright… but don’t run away or I’ll have to carry you.” 

She nodded, and they began to head towards the main door- where there was a large, pretty fountain. She was walking a few paces ahead of her parents, which didn’t bother them, as she would listen to them. Though, her eyes saw the large fountain, and something in her brain told her she wanted to play in it. As a toddler would, Adeline ran right towards the water fountain, far ahead of her mom and dad. She just wanted to play. 

“Adeline Agreste don’t you dare--” Nathalie said, voice raised to try and captivate the child’s attention, to no avail. Adeline tripped right into the fountain. Instead of falling in however, it seems like she had fallen on level ground. She stood up, as Gabriel ran to try and get her. Much to his surprise, she was standing on the water’s surface- clothing, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie miraculously dry. He had pulled out his cellphone, and stood on the opposite side of the fountain. 

“Adeline, come here, please.” Gabriel asked her. He began to take a cellphone video. As he expected, she was quite literally walking across the water, the surface tension of the water giving in only slightly with each step. He was both astonished and unphased at this feat. Once she had finished walking across the fountain, he had stopped filming, and he took her hand. “Stop fooling around, young lady.” He told her sternly. Adeline frowned, but then nodded. 

Nathalie had caught up, witnessing the whole spectacle from across the way. “Gabriel, did she just walk on water, or are my eyes just playing tricks on me?” 

“No, no, it actually happened. I caught it on video, too. I’ll send it to Adrien, so he can see it for himself and show Miss Dupain-Cheng.” He replied, as he was sending the footage to Adrien, so that he could show it to Marinette in turn. Once he was finished, he tucked his phone into his pocket, and picked up Adeline. He wasn’t about to deal with more of this nonsense now.

Nathalie sighed, and shook her head in disbelief. Of course, everything is beginning to go wrong. “Alright, let’s just go inside… I’d rather not be late.”

He nodded, as they all headed inside. They took an elevator ride, up to the OBGYN’s office. Gabriel sat in the waiting room chair, as Nathalie signed herself in. Once she had done that, she sat beside him. The two of them bantered about if they believe their new child is a boy or a girl. Neither of them truly cared- they just wanted a baby that was perfectly healthy. Soon, a nurse called her- and the three of them headed back into the exam rooms. Adeline watched curiously, as the nurse was weighing Nathalie, measuring her vitals, and everything. Then, they were brought into an exam room. As Gabriel sat down in the chair, Nathalie laid down on the table. Adeline began to squirm in Gabriel’s lap, and he decided to let her down for a few minutes, until the technician came in. She handed him her ponies for now, as she went to explore the room. 

Thankfully, the technician came in, so Adeline wasn’t able to cause too much trouble. The technician introduced herself, and then saw Adeline. She smiled and leaned down. “And who are you?” 

Adeline blinked, staring blankly at the technician, and then turning to look at Nathalie. Nathalie chuckled a little. “That’s Adeline. She’s been  _ very _ curious about the baby… so I decided to bring her. She’s usually much more talkative though, so I’m not sure why she’s so quiet…” 

“Oh, that’s alright… Well, we’re glad to have you here, Adeline.” The technician said, extending a hand to her. Adeline shook her hand gently, before she walked over to Gabriel. He lifted her up, and sat her down on his lap again. He also handed her the pony plushies, which she gratefully hugged, and pressed her face into the soft hair on the dolls. Adeline watched the technician coating Nathalie’s bump with some sort of strange jelly substance, and then turned on what seems to be a giant computer. As the technician used the wand to search for the baby, Adeline watched. Once she could see something, Adeline’s eyes went wide in amazement. 

She pointed to the projection on the wall of the ultrasound, turning her head to Gabriel. “Baby?” 

“Yes, that’s the baby inside of Mama.” He paused, as they checked the heartbeat. “Do you hear that, ma princesse? That’s the heartbeat…” He explained to her gently. He was looking on as well, smiling a little. 

The technician paused for a moment, and asked, “Would you like to find out the sex?” 

Nathalie nodded. “Yes, but could you write it down for us and put it in an envelope, and not tell us verbally?” 

“Of course, Mrs. Agreste. I just need you two to look away.” She said. Gabriel and Nathalie looked away from the screen. After finding what she needed, she scribbled down her answer on a piece of paper, folded it up, and put it in an envelope. She then wiped the excess gel from Nathalie’s belly. “Alright, everything looks good! Doctor Bonheur will be with you in just a moment.” She smiled, turning off the ultrasound machine and handing the envelope to Nathalie. She exited the room. Nathalie eyed the envelope, tempted to just open it. 

“I know it’s tempting, my dear, but the wait will be worth it.” He explained. Nathalie just sighed and nodded complacently. She absolutely hated surprises and not knowing, but she would find out later today, anyway. After a few minutes of them sitting alone, Doctor Bonheur went over the results of the ultrasound. He said the baby was perfectly healthy, and measuring perfectly for their gestation. He even was nice enough to answer a question that Adeline had in mind- how does the baby breathe? Once he gave them the all clear, Nathalie sat up, and pulled her shirt down over herself properly again. She was still holding the envelope in her hand, as she looked to Gabriel. 

“And now, it’s time to make a stop at Tom and Sabine’s… I bet they’ll be delighted to make such a special surprise for the kids.” Nathalie said, and Gabriel nodded. The three of them collected themselves, and exited the doctor’s office, after Nathalie booked another appointment. Adeline tried again to go to the fountain, but Gabriel was able to grab her arm before she strayed too far away. Adrien had texted them back about the video- and it seems like he was in as much disbelief as they were. They got into the car, and headed to Tom and Sabine’s bakery. Once they got there, and parked their car, Nathalie turned to Gabriel. “Can I get a dozen macarons?” 

Gabriel sighed, but nodded. He dreaded to think of the amount of money he spends on macarons for his pregnant wife, but if that’s what she wants… then it’s what she gets. “Of course my love. I’ll buy you all the macarons you’d want.” 

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, as they exited the vehicle. Nathalie retrieved Adeline, and helped her down to the ground. She was unable to carry her, as recommended by the doctor not to carry anything over 9 kilograms. Adeline was certainly over that benchmark. Nathalie held her daughter’s hand, as Adeline’s other arm was occupied by her stuffed ponies. When they entered, Tom and Sabine greeted them. 

“Gabriel, Nathalie, Adeline! What a pleasure to see all of you here at once.” Sabine said, with a smile. “What can I get for you today?” 

“Actually, Sabine, we have a special request.” Nathalie said, pulling the envelope from her blazer. She handed it to the woman behind the register. “We just found out the sex of our baby… but we don’t know what it is. Could you make two chocolate cupcakes, filled with a blue or pink frosting, depending on what the envelope says?” 

Sabine looked to Tom- who just nodded. “Yes, of course, Nathalie. What kind of frosting do you want on top?” 

Gabriel replied, “Adrien likes buttercream- so buttercream frosting- perhaps with a raspberry drizzle as well.” Sabine nodded, as she wrote down the order specifications on a piece of paper. Tom began working on making a small batch of chocolate cupcakes. 

“I’m also assuming you’re here for a dozen macarons too, right?” Sabine asked, while looking to Nathalie. Gabriel sighed in exasperation, as Nathalie smiled. Adeline was admiring the cookies- pressing Pinkie Pie’s face to the glass. She asked her plushie what kind of cookie she wanted, and Pinkie Pie seemed to be asking for a few navettes. 

“Yes please. Citron et Lavande, please.” Nathalie delightedly replied. Gabriel looked at Adeline, and walked over to her.

“Is there something you’d like, sweetheart?” 

Adeline pointed right to the Navettes. “That.” 

“And some Navettes, please, for the little one.” Gabriel added. Sabine was ringing them up, inputting their selections into the cash register as Nathalie gave Gabriel a kiss on the cheek. He smiled softly, as he pulled out a few bills from his wallet, to pay for their large, and somewhat pricey order. He surrendered the money to Sabine, who placed a few bills and some coins in his hand. “Thank you, Sabine.” 

“Of course, Gabriel. Once the cupcakes are ready, I’ll have Marinette bring them over. I’m sure she’d love to see Adrien and Adeline as well.” Sabine said, as she was placing some Navettes in a paper bag. She then grabbed a box, and began to pack it with a dozen macarons- six lemon, and six lavender. 

“That sounds lovely. Thank you again.” Gabriel said, keeping his eyes on the young girl, toddling around, and making sure she didn’t get into anything she wasn’t supposed to. Sabine gingerly handed Nathalie her macarons, and Gabriel the bag of cookies. They smiled, and thanked Tom and Sabine. As they were leaving, Adeline asked for her cookies, though Gabriel promised she would get them once they were in the car. He kept his word- and after he fastened her into her car seat, and then handed her the small bag of cookies. She thanked him, and he kissed her forehead. He sat in the driver’s seat again, starting the car and finally taking them back home. It was adorable for them to glance in the rearview mirror, and seeing their daughter happily eating the cookies, and even pretending to feed her ponies the cookies as well. 

Once they got home, and inside, they were greeted by Adrien, who had returned home shortly before they did. He smiled at them, and met them in the foyer. After exchanging pleasantries, Adeline insisted Adrien hold her, and also hold one of her ponies. He obliged, happily picking up his little sister, and also holding Fluttershy like she requested. Adrien immediately turned to her, and asked, “did you walk on water, Addy?” 

Adeline had to think, but then she nodded. “Yes Adri.” She then offered him one of her cookies.

“Interesting… and thank you, Adeline.” He replied, taking the cookie and then turned to Nathalie. “So, how did the doctor appointment go? How’s the baby?” He asked, popping the cookie into his mouth.

“The baby is perfectly healthy, we’ll be finding out if it’s a boy or a girl later, though.” Nathalie smiled at him. Adrien seemed a little confused. 

“You didn’t find out while you were there?” 

“We had her write it down, and we took it to Marinette’s parents- they’re making you and Adeline special cupcakes.” She replied, as she held Gabriel’s hand. Adrien looked visibly excited. 

“We got your favorite- chocolate with buttercream frosting, and a raspberry drizzle. You’ve done so well in your academics, so I figured we’d surprise you as well.” Gabriel replied. It was also a small token of appreciation for Adrien’s forgiveness, which Gabriel knew he didn’t deserve. 

“Wow, thank you, Father!” Adrien said, as he went to hug Gabriel with his free arm. 

Gabriel hugged him back. “You’re welcome, son. Marinette should be by later this afternoon with the cupcakes. 

Adrien was even more excited- to see Marinette, and to eat a cupcake. “I can’t wait! But for now, I think I’m going to go and practice my piano… I’ll let Adeline play in her room until it’s time.” They nodded, as they went their separate ways. Adrien stopped by Adeline’s bedroom, and placed her down, gently returning Fluttershy to her. She watched her big brother leave, as she toddled to the rest of her stuffed animals, scattered on the floor. She sits down, quickly gathering the stuffed incarnations of her favorite cartoon characters and giving them all a hug, before setting them back down again. Soon, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and was delighted to see that it was Emilie. 

“Emlie!” Adeline said, as she goes to hug the angel. Emilie smiled as she gave the toddler a hug. 

“Hello, little one. How are you?” 

“Good.” 

“That’s great. So, you got to see your sibling? How was that?” 

Adeline’s eyes lit up. “Great! Baby small. In mama’s belly.” She said, pointing to her own belly. Emilie giggled at her silliness. 

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sure you’re excited. Well, I'll let you know that the baby is very excited to meet you too.” Emilie said, as she cups Adeline’s cheek delicately. Emilie, as well as the rest of the Sancoeurs, knew a lot more about this baby than even the doctor did. She chose to keep quiet about the details she knew about. 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really. You’re going to be an amazing big sister. Your parents, and your big brother will be there for you- it’ll be a big change… but I’m sure you’ll handle it well.” 

Adeline goes to hug her once again, smiling. “Addy happy for baby.” 

“I’m glad. Baby is happy about you, too… Now, how about we play a game?” Emilie suggested. Adeline took her up on that offer. They were playing with the ponies again- the Mane Six were all coming to tea today. Adeline split what cookies she had left amongst her tea party guests. The ambiance music was provided unknowingly by Adrien, who was practicing his piano in the neighboring room. By the time their tea party was concluded, Adrien came back into the room. It was time- Marinette had arrived with the cupcakes. Emilie waved goodbye, as she 

“Alright Adeline… it’s time. Are you ready?” Adrien asked, as she came towards him. She was very excited, as she nodded. The two of them headed downstairs, to be greeted with Marinette, who was holding a box in her hands. After Adrien greeted Marinette with a kiss, the Agrestes and Marinette headed into the dining room. They all sat at the table, with Adeline sitting in Adrien’s lap and Marinette opened up the box. Though they only asked for two cupcakes, it seems like there was a cupcake for each of them- very kind of Tom and Sabine. Adrien grabbed two, and handed one to Adeline, as everyone grabbed a cupcake. 

“Adri, help me?” Adeline asked, struggling to peel the liner away from the cake. Adrien nodded, as he helped her peel it. “Thank!” She replied. He smiled at her, as he grabbed his own cupcake. 

“Okay, is everyone ready?” Nathalie asked the table. They all nodded, as they picked up their cupcakes. Adeline was getting excited, as she picked it up, looking at her mama. “One… two… three!” She counted down, as they all began to dig in. Adrien was the first to discover the special filling on the inside, and he smiled, as he showed it to the table. The color of the filling on the inside was blue. 

“It looks like Nathalie’s having a boy!” Adrien said, with much pride. Nathalie seemed pretty pleased too, looking at Gabriel. They gave each other a quick kiss, as they finished their cupcakes. Marinette was excited as well, congratulating all of them as she was still working on her cupcake. Adeline, however, was making a bit of a mess- having the buttercream frosting, raspberry topping, and some blue across her lips. She was excited, though, just as Adrien, Marinette, and her mama and papa were. It seems like everyone had forgotten Adeline’s magical stunt, overjoyed with the news of another little boy being added to the Agreste family. As for Adeline, she was pretty happy about having another brother. If he’d be anything like Adrien, then she was lucky. The thing she was looking forward to most, however, was for her baby brother to meet her angels. She was also looking forward to sharing her magic with him, and all that that it will bring. The rest of the family has no idea just what she has in store for them.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline has a vision- though telling her parents doesn't go the way she planned.

As the months of Nathalie’s pregnancy progressed, her belly only got bigger. Adeline had only grown more curious of the baby, and very much more vocal about him. Her favorite question to ask, however, was what was her baby brother’s name, amongst the surge of vocabulary and properly structuring sentences. It was a tough question to answer, because truthfully, he didn’t have a name yet. Sure, the topic had come up several times, but of course, Gabriel and Nathalie could never agree on a name. They had already agreed on a girl name, if they were to have another. They had agreed upon Catherine for their daughter. Unfortunately, as life would have it, they were having a son. The couple couldn’t even seem to agree on any name for their baby boy. It was so easy with Adeline- they had a hard time picking a name for her solely because there were so many good options. Once Adrien had suggested “Adeline”, they sat on it for a few days- and it felt right after that trial period, so the name stuck. However, with boy names, it seemed like every name Nathalie liked, Gabriel did not, and every name Gabriel liked, Nathalie didn’t care for. And Adrien even had some names- they weren’t all egregious, but they would have more names to consider. Finally, with the baby soon to arrive, Nathalie had enough of not knowing. She grabbed Gabriel’s hand firmly. 

“How can I help you, my love?” 

“Gabriel, we are not moving from this spot until we come up with a name for our baby. I refuse to go into the hospital without a name set in stone, dammit, so sit down. Our child will have a name before the end of the night.” 

He simply raised his eyebrows, and complied with her wishes. They sat at her desk, and began to look up baby names for a boy. Knowing them, it was going to be a long and arduous process. Thankfully, Adrien and Adeline were busy keeping themselves occupied upstairs. Adeline was in her room, as usual. However, she was already quite bored. She had played with every possible toy and game she had kept in her room, at least twice. Though, there were some that she couldn’t quite reach. However, she couldn’t help but be frustrated at the fact that her brother doesn’t have a name. She couldn’t keep calling him baby forever! It wouldn’t feel right. Unless, however… no, they wouldn’t do something like that. Adeline knew her parents weren’t like that. She just sighed, and threw herself back on to a large pile of stuffed toys she kept in her room. She stared at her ceiling, where there were paintings of little flowers and butterflies. Noticing the child’s boredom, Emilie, accompanied by Alaire, Elaine, and Catherine, soon joined her in her bedroom.   


“Hey kiddo, what’s wrong?” Alaire asked, sitting next to his granddaughter. Adeline looked to him, and then pouted. 

“Baby brother.” She replied, as she looked up at him. A vague complaint- so, he felt like he should press further. 

“What about him?”

“What’s his name?” 

The angels looked at each other. Of course, they already knew the name for the unborn child- long before Gabriel and Nathalie even knew. They couldn’t quite give them any obvious signs in the open-- the couple doesn’t leave their home often unless it’s mandatory for them to do so. Perhaps they just need the sign from someone else- and they had that someone they could utilize. Adeline- their messenger. There was irony in the situation- a man who shared the same name as the messenger angel Gabriel, needed someone else to give him a message. The angels looked at each other. Now was the perfect time- considering that the baby boy’s arrival was drawing nearer with each day.

“Well, would you like to know?” Emilie asked. 

Adeline looked behind the angel. She could see her grandparents behind her, nodding for encouragement. It must have been something important to know then, so she nodded, waiting to accept the vision. Emilie then leans down, and plants a kiss on Adeline’s forehead- a vision of the past transmitting to her. Her eyes shot open, consumed with an ethereal white glow that could light up a room. No longer were her toys in sight, but the sights of vast lands from long, long ago. There were extensive deserts, and she could practically feel the strong sun beating down on her through her sights. Jerusalem, 990 BCE. The King of Israel and his new wife were looking over their new baby, a little boy. He was perfect- a peace offering between God and the King. The King looked up to the sky and said, “Thank you, God! Thank you for your forgiveness. And thank you for the gift of my lovely son.” 

God had been merciful with King David. Though the king had sinned, God had decided to forgive him, and allowed him to have a son with his wife, even as their first son had died. “You are welcome, David. What shall you name your son?” 

David looked at his son, and then up to God. “We have decided to name him  _ Solomon _ . Peaceful. As a peace offering to you, God.” 

“An excellent name. It has shown that you are peaceful, after sinning and forgiveness.” God replied. Suddenly, the scenery had melded together and faded into white. Adeline blinked again, as her toys, bedroom, and Emilie came into view. She rubbed her eyes with her fists, and looked at Emilie. 

“Do you understand now?” Emilie asked Adeline. Adeline had looked at her hands and then at the angel. She nodded. A moment of clarity came about when Emilie kissed her forehead, and now she knew the answer. She had to find her parents, and tell them about her vision. 

“Solly-mon…” Adeline repeated to Emilie. The toddler smiled. She really liked that name, actually- even if she didn’t understand fully what she saw and what it meant. However, she could put two and two together- the king was her father, his wife was her mother, and the baby was her brother. She wanted to tell Adrien first. She stood up, and smiled at them. “Can I tell Adri?” 

Emilie nodded. “You may tell whoever you please, little one. We will see you soon.” And in a flash, they were gone. Now that she was a bit older and closer to being three, Adeline had figured out how to open doors. She felt practically unstoppable now. She waved goodbye to her angel friends, and set course to Adrien’s room. She could hear him playing the piano through the door when he pressed her ear to it. She knocked on the door. 

“Aaaaadrieeeennnn…” Adeline whined. She continued to knock on his bedroom door, until the soft piano music slowed, and then stopped. Her knocking stopped as she heard his footsteps draw closer. The door opened for her. 

“Yes, Adeline?” He asks, as he invites her in. She looked up at him. 

“I know baby’s name.” 

Adrien caught onto the frantic tone she had taken with her words. He was curious now, especially because she had seemed so insistent as well. He should listen. “Really? Well, what is it?” 

“Solly-mon. That’s his name.” 

Adrien looked at her, slightly confused. Then he realized what she meant. “Oh… did you mean ‘Solomon’?”

She nodded. “Tell Mama and Papa…”

“Wait, so you decided the name without telling Mama and Papa? I don’t think it works like that…” 

“Not me- an angel did.” 

Okay, now she was just making things up. However, he was not going to shoot her down. He brought her further into his room, and sat her down on the couch in his room. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her. “What did you see?” 

Adeline closed her eyes, trying to picture exactly what she saw in her mind again. “Sand… a lot of sand. Oh, and a king… and a lady… and a baby… Another man but I couldn’t see him.”   
  
“You… couldn’t see him?”   
  
“No… he was God.” 

“God?” Adrien was trying to think. This was sounding familiar- like a bible story he remembered hearing a long time ago- when he was just slightly older than her. He remembered now- and he slowly stood up. “Wait there for a second, Adeline, okay?” 

She nodded, and watched him as he scaled up the staircase to his loft. He had hundreds and hundreds of books- but he was looking for a specific one. His fingers mulled over the spines of all the reference books, novels, and encyclopedias he had. The tips of his fingers finally brushed over the spine of the book. He pulled it free, and blew the dust from it. It was a copy of the Bible- nearly as old as he was. He opened the cover, and he felt a twinge of pain in his heart upon seeing his mother’s handwriting in the book- she had written his full name, and a message for him. After reading the message over, he made his way back down to his sister. Her eyes tracked him as he made her way back to her. 

“What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the book in his hands. 

“It’s a book my mom gave to me when I was very little. I haven’t read it in years, but I think maybe I can tell you what you saw… Let me read you a story.” Adrien explained, flipping through the delicate pages of the book. Adeline stared at the book as well. There were no pictures, but lots of words! What kind of book was this? Once he found the correct section, he began to recount the words on the page. Adeline curled up to his side, and listened contentedly. The words he read from the page matched to what she had seen, but just told differently. Once he finished reading, he closed the old book, and looked down at her. “Does that sound familiar?” 

“Yeah. I saw that.” 

“Really?” Adrien sounded surprised, not because his guess was right, but because she had even known this story at all. They never really brought up anything about the Bible around her, let alone a story that’s not quite as well known. 

She nodded, as she put her hands on the book and looked up at him. He looked down at her. She asked, “Can I?” 

He nods, as he tucked the ribbon bookmark. “Just… please be careful, okay? It means a lot to me.” 

She understood, and he handed the book off to her. “Thank you.” He smiled at her, and escorted her to the door. Adeline made her way down the stairs, struggling a bit with the extra weight of the large book in her hands. The door to the parent’s office was closed. She didn’t exactly have a free hand to knock, so she kicked the door once. “Mama, Papa! Let me in!” She demanded. 

Nathalie flinched, as Gabriel sighed softly, and got up and walked to the door. He looked down at her. “That is not how you get things you want, Adeline. Ask nicely.” 

She looked up at him, “Please let me in?” 

“Much better. You may come in.” He replied, as he stepped out of the way, and allowed her to enter. She thanked him, as she toddled over to Nathalie, still holding the large book close to her.

“Mama, Papa, I know baby’s name.” Adeline said, as she presented the Bible to her parents. They were confused, but decided to give her a chance to justify herself. As she opened the book to where the ribbon was tucked in, and pretended to read the words on the page, she recounted her vision of King David and baby Solomon to her parents. They were both baffled. Nathalie smiled gently at her daughter, as she picked her up to try and sit her on her lap- or as close to it as she could. 

“So, you believe your brother’s name is Solomon? Well, that is a lovely name…” Nathalie said fondly, brushing a few strands of messy hair from the child’s face.

Gabriel was extremely skeptical. “And how did you know that story?” 

Adeline replied simply, “She kissed my head, and I saw it.” 

That last sentence both of her parents’ eyebrows raised in skepticism and curiosity. “Who did?” 

“An angel did. Emilie did.” 

Hearing her name hit a nerve in him that hadn’t been touched in years. It still hurt, and now his daughter knew about her? Even after all these years- and marrying the second love of his life, and having another child, and another on the way, her name brought back some dark feelings of upset, anger, and failure. “Stop lying.” He said, gritting his teeth. 

Adeline was shocked at the accusation. “I’m not…” Nathalie was also surprised at the visceral reaction. 

“I said  _ stop _ .” He said, tone becoming more and more angry. 

“But Papa, they told me this! He is Solly-mon!” Adeline protested. 

Now, he was furious. “How dare you lie to me like that again! You don’t know anything about her!” He loomed over Adeline, staring down at her. She felt his fury in his eyes beating down on her, like the strong sun of Jerusalem in her vision. 

She was beginning to get scared. “Emilie is really nice and just wants--” 

“ENOUGH!” He hollered, voice echoing throughout the room. “Adeline, you’re going to time out.” He was seething at this point, and Nathalie was angry too- not at Adeline, but at him. As he roughly grabbed her from Nathalie’s lap, Adeline left the book on Nathalie’s desk, open to the page she was “reading” from. Gabriel marched them both up the stairs and to her room. Adeline was already sniffling, scared at the way he had just yelled at her. Never had he yelled so loudly and angrily in her life. Once they got to her room, he sat her down on the floor, and she was even more scared as he looked down at her once again. “You’re going to sit here and think about how what you said was bad.” His voice was filled with wrath, with a slight hint of upset. 

She had begun to start crying full on now, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face into her knees. He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw her beginning to sob- but he couldn’t let that guilt prevent her from learning her lesson about lies. He left the room, slamming the door behind him. She began to cry louder, and he could hear her through the door as he went back downstairs. When he returned to the office, he was greeted with the sigh of his unhappy wife. Before he got a chance to explain himself, she began, “what the hell is wrong with you, Gabriel?!” 

When she had asked him that, he began to think- what got him so furious to begin with, and why? “I… don’t know.” He replied, unsure of how else to reply. 

“You don't know? That’s a load of bull. You know damn well what happened.” 

“I think hearing her name again… it just brought back negative feelings, I suppose. Failure, upset…” He replied- his anger turning into guilt, and slight sadness. Nathalie’s eyes widened, and then she frowned. 

“Gabriel…” she said, as she reached for his hand. “I had no idea that you still felt that way… you know that what happened to Emilie isn’t your fault, right?” 

“How could you have known? I suppose I don’t even think I knew I still felt this way. I’m not sure why… I have a lovely wife, sons and daughter. Why am I still so bothered about losing Emilie…?” He asked, as he squeezed her hand. 

“Something like that is something you may never fully recover from, no matter how many years go by. The wound may close, but the scar still remains. But there are ways you can handle your grief. And the way you just yelled at our daughter?” 

“Wasn’t the best way. I know…” He sighed. “She was crying when I left her room.” 

“Of course- you probably scared her.” She replied, as she looked at the open book on her desk, and then to him. “You should probably go talk to her.” 

“She probably doesn’t want to talk to me now. She won’t even remember this anyway, so why bother--” 

“Gabriel!” 

“Okay, I’ll go talk to her, after she calms down some. But first… what do you think?”

“About…?”  
  
“The name-- Solomon, for our baby boy. I actually really like it.”   
  
“Well, I think it’s lovely. I really like it as well.” 

He smiled at her, as they began to work out the details of the rest of the names for him. They had already agreed that one of his other names would be Alaire, after Nathalie’s father, and to give him one of Gabriel’s names- Honoré. Together, they came up with a third name- Cyrille. Nathalie had great peace of mind, now that her baby had a name- Solomon. The more she said it in her head, the more she loved it for him. Gabriel was satisfied with the name as well- just not satisfied with how he handled himself. He excused himself, and Nathalie nodded, watching him exit the atelier. 

Adeline was laying on her floor, now hugging her stuffed Pinkie Pie- hoping that the pony’s laughter would come and make her less sad. Emilie was sitting beside the child and patting her back. She had half a mind to make Gabriel’s life a living hell for a week or two for how he had acted, but she figured that it wasn’t worth the trouble. She knew why he did what he did… but still was furious he would be so dismissive- even if it was totally in character for him to be dismissive and act like he knew all. Emilie heard the door open, and she disappeared for now. The door began to open slowly, as Gabriel poked his head in to see his daughter lying on the floor, and curled into a ball. He slowly approached her, sitting himself a few feet away. “Adeline…?” He called for her. She seemed scared, trying to move herself away from him, in fear of him yelling at her again. He was surprised that she was moving away from him, and felt himself getting angry again- however, he took a deep breath this time, and the anger faded away. 

“Adeline, ma princess. I’m sorry for yelling at you like that. I didn’t mean it. It’s just that sometimes… people get angry, and they yell at the wrong people, and that’s not right. Even grown-ups do things that they shouldn’t, especially if they know better. Can you forgive me?” He said to her. She sits herself up now, and looks at him. This was the Papa she loved, and knew better- not that monster she had seen minutes before. She slowly crawled over to him, sitting just in front of him. He smiled at her, and then hugged her tight. She hugged him back, and smiled. It was safe to say that she forgave him. “And, you know what?” 

“What?” 

“Your baby brother has a name-- your mother and I talked about it… and Solomon is a very nice name for him. You were correct.” He said softly. He didn’t want to scare her again by talking too loudly. 

She looked delighted. “Thank you, Papa!” She smiled up at him, as she hugged him tighter. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, ma princesse…” He replied, and kissed her forehead. 

She felt joy- the angels were right, and if they were right about this, she wondered what else they knew. She had so many questions to ask them, but she may be disappointed with the answers she would be given in return when she has to learn the answers herself.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A baby is born.

Adeline had tried to ask Emilie, Alaire, and Elaine when she could expect to see her little brother in person. She kept getting various answers, ranging from “soon” to “sometime in the next month or so”. It was annoying to receive such vague answers, but she supposed that she could keep asking. Well, just as they had foretold… about two weeks after her brother got his name, he was quickly making his way out. Nathalie and Gabriel scrambled to get out the door to the hospital. The Gorilla was left in charge- though he wouldn’t have to do much, as it was close to Adeline’s bedtime. Adrien was holding Adeline as they stood at the top of the stairs, watching a very pregnant Nathalie hunched over in pain as Gabriel was holding a few bags. The kids waved goodbye to their parents. Gabriel shut the door behind him as Nathalie was swearing loudly as she waddled outside. Adeline clung to Adrien as she looked at him. 

“Adrien, why was Mama saying bad words? What did they mean?” She asked, laying her head on his shoulder. 

Adrien chuckled as he pats her back gently. “She was just in pain because of the baby. She’ll be okay.”

“Can I sleep with you?” She then asked, looking at him with big eyes. 

He didn’t see much harm in that, so he nodded. “Of course. Want to go grab some of your stuffed animals?” 

Adeline smiled, as she gave Adrien a smooch on the cheek. He smiled back at her, as he walked her to her room. From her bed, she grabbed her Chaton, her blanket that Marinette had gifted to her, her stuffed Duusu, and chose Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She would have chosen more, but Adrien wanted space in his own bed, too. Using her blanket, she bundled the four stuffed animals together, arms wrapping around the bundle. He led her into his bedroom, she placed all her stuffed animals and blankets on one side of the bed. She still had to brush her teeth before going to bed, so he walked her into her bathroom, and helped her prep her toothbrush. Thankfully, he didn’t have to brush her teeth for her, so he just watched to make sure she was doing it correctly. Once she had properly brushed her teeth, he put her toothbrush back, and brought her back to his bedroom. He knelt beside his bed, placing her in. She grabbed her stuffed animals, while also snuggling her blanket close to her as the covers were pulled over her. With a gentle kiss on the forehead, Adrien stood up and walked over to turn off the lights. It was still fairly early for him to go to bed, so he decided he’d kill some time by plugging his headphones into his computer, and play some video games. The volume was lowered so that he could hear her, and to make sure that she wouldn’t wake up. 

Between his matches, he glanced over at her- and she was still fast asleep, though she looked rather nervous. He swore he heard her soft voice mumbling words, though through his headset they were incoherent. Once he was tired of playing, he decided he should get some sleep himself. He powered off his computer, and crawled into bed. There was far less room with her, but he didn’t mind one bit. He finally drifted off to sleep, excited to meet his baby brother when he would wake up. 

When they were settled in the hospital, Gabriel had fallen asleep on the couch. Nathalie was trying to sleep as well, though it was rather difficult when the contractions were picking up speed and strength and the baby was kicking her square in her rib cage. Even with the epidural, she was intensely uncomfortable. He looked too peaceful, so she decided to change that by hurling a plastic cup at his head. 

“Is it time?!” He asked, as he shot straight up from the couch. 

“No, not yet… but you were too peaceful…” She gripped the side of the bed as she took some deep breaths. Gabriel immediately rushed to her bedside, and let her hold his hand. He winced as he swore he heard some cracks from his hand as she squeezed it. She kept swearing under her breath about how large her son felt… and how big his head was, too. The doctor had walked in, and after examining, determined that she was just about ready- a huge relief to her, but Gabriel was suddenly extremely terrified- especially because it took forever for Adeline to come, but they’ve only been here for a few hours, and Solomon was about to be born. When the doctor checked back a half-hour later, he declared it was time, and called in the rest of the team, as the room was prepared for the baby’s arrival- a bassinet, blankets, and a table with medical tools. Nathalie couldn’t help but feel slightly like a live exhibit, but what did she expect? Childbirth is certainly not glamorous by any means. 

Thankfully, Nathalie didn’t have to put too much into the actual process- it only took a few good pushes, and their precious little boy was here. Alaire and Elaine caught a glimpse of the newborn for the very first time and he was absolutely beautiful as he took his first breaths. Emilie saw him too- and smiled as she looked at Mr. and Mrs. Sancoeur. 

“Should we tell Adeline now?” Emilie asked them. 

Elaine nodded. “In just a minute, dear. Solomon is quite the big boy, isn’t he?”   
  
“He is… he kind of looks a little like you, Mister Sancoeur.” Emilie observed. 

“So he does… But he certainly looks like Gabriel when he was younger.” Alaire commented. The women agreed with him. After discussing more about how sweet the newborn boy was, and the full name Solomon Alaire Honoré Cyrille Agreste, was the perfect moniker for him. After watching Gabriel and Nathalie fawning over and loving on their new baby boy for a few minutes, they decided it was time to tell Adeline. They took a few steps away from the window to the world, and proceeded into the dream realm. They had excused themselves to go take a look at what was happening-- but they promised to return as soon as possible. The group crossed over into the dream realm, looking for Adeline. It was a bit of a challenge to find her in such a large place, but they found her- deciding to fly towards her. 

Adeline could see them all coming for her, and she smiled now. She had a feeling that he was here. Emilie landed first, with Mr. and Mrs. Sancoeur by her side. 

“Adeline, guess what?” Emilie asked, as she took the child’s hand. 

Adeline gasped softly, before a small smile spread across her face. “Baby brother’s here?!” She goes to hug all of them. 

Emilie nods. “He is. I think you’re going to love him. Your mom and dad are excited too.” She replied. The serene background ambiance of the dream realm was soon interrupted by a harsh noise- the sound of Adrien’s cell phone ringing. 

“You better go now, sweetheart. I think you’ll be going to see him very soon…” Elaine smiled, as she hugged her granddaughter tighter. Alaire did the same. 

“Let us know what you think, kiddo!” He said, as they all let her go, waving goodbye to her. Adeline waved back, as she faded out of the dream realm. She slowly woke up, and her big brother was trying to grab his phone. Once he grabbed it, he answered the call. 

“Hello m’lady… How are you doing tonight?” He answered half-asleep, obviously not looking to see who had called him. 

On the other end Gabriel had brought a hand to his forehead and sighed. “Adrien, this is your father.” 

“Oh. Sorry, Father… but it’s the middle of the night, why are you calling?” 

“Because, your little brother is born… you two are welcome whenever you’re ready.” 

Adrien immediately woke up, sitting up in bed. “We’ll be there shortly. See you soon.” He hung up the phone, and Adeline yawned, as she sat up beside him. 

“Adrien, baby brother is--” 

“He’s here! Wanna go see him right now?” 

“Yes!” She said, chipper as she could be at nearly 5 AM. Adrien nodded, as he rolled out of bed, and stood to his feet. 

“Want to put on your special big sister shirt that Papa made?” Adrien asked. Dressing himself and a toddler was a bit of a challenge, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. She nodded, as they proceeded into her room. He turned on the light, both of them cringing at the sudden, bright lights that flooded their sight. Once their eyes adjusted, he walked over to the dresser, and picked out a pair of leggings, socks, underwear and the special big sister tee shirt that Gabriel had crafted. A special big sister shirt- a simple white shirt, with a script, lilac “Big Sister” on the front, but with all the main ponies of the show embroidered onto the shirt surrounding the text. It was definitely garish and cheesy in comparison to his usual work, though if it made his daughter smile, it was all worth it. Adeline began to change out of her pajamas and into her clothes, and while she was doing that, Adrien tossed her pajamas into the hamper and disposed of the pull up into the garbage can. Once she was fully dressed, he helped her put on her shoes, and he smiled. She smiled at him, and then yawned softly. He smiled. “Okay, and now it’s my turn to get dressed.” 

As he walked back into his room, she tagged along, looking at all her stuffed animals on his bed. While he was getting changed into his clothes, he looked at her, and told her she can only bring one stuffed animal- because he knew she was going to be getting a special gift at the hospital. After contemplating her options, she grabbed Applejack, and nuzzled her face into the pony’s mane. Once Adrien was fully dressed, and had his shoes on, he grabbed his wallet, and cellphone. “Can we go now?” Adeline asked impatiently, clutching her pony. 

“Yes, yes, we can go now… Let’s go.” Adrien said, as he also yawned. The two of them headed downstairs, and Adrien had to make a decision. He could either make the right decision, or the wrong one. He saw the Gorilla peacefully asleep on a chair… and he couldn’t bear to wake him. Using his miraculous powers could also be dangerous, so he opted to take the métro. After quietly exiting the house, they headed to the station, not too far away. Once they got to the top of the stairs, Adrien held Adeline in one arm, and the railing with the other, as he made his way down to the platform. The first train of the morning should be here very soon. After purchasing tickets, he looked for a bench to sit down on. It wasn’t too difficult though, as he was the only person here. When he sat down on the bench, he saw that Adeline had fallen asleep on his shoulder, still clinging on tightly to her Applejack plushie. He smiled, wrapped his arms around her, and gently leaned his head against her. He must have nodded off in the short time he was sitting, because he was startled awake by the sound of the horn to the train. Adeline was still fast asleep, however, as he stood up and approached the end of the platform. 

As the doors opened and he stepped onto the train, he found the nearest seat and sat down. Thankfully, there was only one person sitting in the car, and they seemed too busy with their paper to actually notice that Adrien Agreste was on this train. The conductor came around, and collected tickets, and then Adrien could settle in for the ride. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t fall asleep now. He had to watch out for their stop. He was simply counting the stops in his head. He had looked this up ahead of time, and knew it was nine stops from the station by the house, and the one by the hospital. As much as he wanted to see the sunlight, all he saw was the dark, underground of the tunnels they were travelling through. Once he had counted nine stops in his head, he exited the train, thankful he could stretch his legs. He and the other passengers made their way up the staircase, and to the street. The sun was just starting to rise in the distance, and he could see the hospital just a block away. Adeline was slowly beginning to wake up, as she blearily looked at Adrien, and then around her. 

“Where are we…?” She asked him. 

“Almost at the hospital. We’re going to go see Mama, and baby Solomon, and Papa… are you excited?” 

She nodded weakly, as she rested her head against her Applejack plushie. “Solomon cute…” 

“I’m sure he is very cute…” He mumbled, still walking towards the street corner, to cross the street. When he crossed the street, he walked up to the main entrance to the hospital, and towards the front desk. He had asked where the maternity ward was, and he was told the eighth floor. Once they were waiting for their elevator, Adeline requested to be set down, and Adrien agreed. The elevator doors opened, and they stepped in. It was a silent ride up, as the two siblings were still quite tired from the journey and sudden wakeup. When they arrived on the eighth floor, they stepped out, and Adrien took Adeline’s hand as they headed into the maternity ward. The lady at the desk looked at the two siblings, who appeared more like walking zombies at the moment slightly bewildered. 

“How can I help you, sir?” She asked hesitantly, as Adrien approached the desk. He leaned forward. 

“I’m here to visit my step mother, ma’am. She just delivered.” 

“Okay… well, what’s her name?” 

“Nathalie Agreste, ma’am.” 

She looked through her computer. “Hmm… ah, yes. Right down the hall, second door on the left. Just sign yourself and the little one in.” She instructed, hand two visitor stickers. Adrien nodded, as he hastily signed himself, and Adeline, in on the visitors list. He stuck the visitor sticker to himself, and stuck Adeline’s to her. He thanked the woman at the front desk, as he took Adeline’s hand once more, and led her down the hall. They were still relatively silent, aside from the sound of screaming babies from time to time. They entered the room, and saw their parents, huddled up around the newborn in the bassinet. Gabriel was surprised to see his kids so quickly- though Adrien did say shortly… it was just sooner than expected. 

“You two certainly got here a lot faster than we had expected… But we’re glad you’re here.” Gabriel said, as he noticed how exhausted they were, and invited them to sit on the sofa bed. They happily did so, as they looked at Nathalie. 

“How are you feeling?” Adrien asked.

Nathalie heaved a sigh, “Sore, and tired. Jesus, that kid is huge, no wonder it hurt so badly. It didn’t help that he was crooked to begin with…” Gabriel gingerly picked up his newborn son, and held him close. 

Adrien raised his eyebrows. “How big?” 

“A little over four and a half kilograms big.” 

Adrien was surprised- that was quite a big baby. Gabriel stood before his two older kids, and smiled. “Would you like to hold the baby?” He asked them. 

Adeline and Adrien nodded. Gabriel instructed them to wash their hands first, however. They got up and walked to the sink in the room. Adrien helped her out by giving her a boost, and once she was done, she sat back down on the couch, next to her dad, baby brother, and Applejack. She was so excited- she had been waiting for this moment for such a long time. Gabriel placed a pillow around her- meant for nursing, but would be perfect to help the young girl hold her baby brother for the first time. Adeline smiled wide to Gabriel, and then to the baby. He could tell she was tired, and he smiled softly and kissed her forehead. . 

“Now ma princesse… you have to be gentle with him, okay? Will you be gentle?” 

“Yes, Papa.” 

“Alright…” He said softly, instructing her to hold out her arms. He delicately placed the newborn in her arms. Adeline looked at the small human in awe. Baby Solomon was so tiny, soft and warm. He also smelled very nice. She loved him already, looking at him sleeping in her arms. Adrien couldn’t help but snap a picture of the moment. Nathalie was watching as well, tears coming to her eyes. Sleep deprivation and hormones were running high through her.

“Can you give Solomon a kiss, sweetheart?” Nathalie asked. Adeline leaned down, and placed a soft kiss to his forehead. The other three people in the room gushed, as Gabriel scooted closer to his daughter. Nathalie began to cry more- the moment was just so beautiful. As Adeline kissed her baby brother, he made a grunting noise, and began to squirm. She began slightly frightened, looking down at him for a moment and then to Gabriel with much concern. 

“He’s fine, Adeline… Babies do that.” Gabriel assured her, he then wiggles her arm out from under his legs. “Why don’t you try placing your finger in his hand?”

She did as such, placing her pointer finger in his tiny palm. Immediately, his tiny fingers curled up around hers, and she was in awe. She looked to Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and then back to Solomon in fascination. However, the weight of the baby was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. She began to squirm, and Gabriel quickly picked up the baby. Adrien opened his arms and happily received his baby brother, and looked down at him as he held the baby close. As Adrien was holding the baby, Adeline watched from afar. Gabriel then looked to Nathalie, who gave him a nod. The two of them had gotten Adeline a small gift- from her baby brother, in hopes that she would like him better, even though she seems to like him plenty without it. Regardless, they would go ahead and give her the present anyway. He gathered yet another stuffed pony toy- this time of Princess Cadance. They knew she would freak, as Princess Cadance was Adeline’s favorite princess. Holding the pony behind his back, he tapped Adeline on the shoulder, and she turned around immediately. 

“Adeline, did you know your baby brother picked out something special, just for you?”

She looked confused, trying to peek around to see what he was hiding behind his back. “What is it, Papa?” 

He revealed the stuffed Princess Cadance, and her eyes glimmered with excitement. She grinned as she took the stuffed toy with delight, and hugged it close. “Princess Cadance!”

Gabriel and Nathalie smiled, delighted in their daughter’s delight. “What do you say to Solomon, dear?” Nathalie prompted her daughter. 

“Thank you, Solly-mon. I love it.” She said, as she gave him another kiss, on one of his soft, supple cheeks. However, she was really tired now- after that burst of energy and excitement ran its course. She yawned, as she looked to Gabriel. He sits her down on the couch again, as she grabbed her Applejack doll as well, holding both of them close to her. He removed her shoes for her. 

“How about you go back to sleep? A princess such as yourself needs it. “He said softly, as he placed a pillow down for her. She laid down, and almost instantly fell asleep again. Gabriel had looked around, signaling them to be quiet. He pulled a blanket up over her, and looked to Adrien. He noticed how tired his oldest son was, and carefully took the baby back from him. “Adrien, how about you sit in the reclining chair?” With that suggestion, Adrien moved himself to the reclining chair, and reclined it far back. Gabriel placed the sleeping Solomon back in his bassinet. When he looked to Adrien again, he was out cold as well. Gabriel and Nathalie smiled at the sight of all their children sleeping peacefully for the first time. 

As soon as her eyes had closed, Adeline had found herself warped back to her dream realm. Her angels were patiently awaiting her return, and she was greeted warmly by them. They had asked her opinions on the new bay, and she answered earnestly. She truly did love her baby brother- even if his sudden noises and movements scared her at first. After interrogating her about the baby, Emilie had one final question for Adeline. 

“Do you promise to always look out for your baby brother, forever and always?” 

“Yes.” 

With the “yes”, Emilie had kissed Adeline’s forehead gently, sealing the young girl’s new statuses in magic- big sister, and guardian angel. 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline's not adjusting to the change as well as expected... Solomon doesn't help with that, though.

When Solomon came home for the first time, it was time for everyone to adjust- especially because he was colicky. It was tough for everyone, often because the baby would cry through the night- Adrien could sleep through it, but Adeline could not. She tried everything- putting her head under the pillow, covering her ears, trying to sleep in her bathroom, and even trying to camp in Adrien’s room. Nothing worked, and she was at her wits end. She tried complaining to her parents, but they dismissed her- stating that there really wasn’t much they could do to get him to stop- which wasn’t a lie… but that answer wasn’t good enough. It’s only been four days, and how was she supposed to deal with this for the rest of her life?! She had no clue. 

After a particularly rough night with baby Solomon, Gabriel decided to surprise Nathalie with breakfast in bed. He was already up, so why not? The baby was fast asleep in the bassinet beside Nathalie, who was also out cold. He smiled at the sight of them, leaning down to kiss Nathalie on the forehead, who was asleep with her hand in the bassinet. He also kissed his son’s forehead as well, before exiting the room and then letting them sleep. He put on his bathrobe and then slowly exited the room, yawning quietly as he tread down the stairs. His eyelids felt very heavy, even with the bright morning sunlight beaming through the large windows in the foyer. When he stepped off the last stair, he turned to head into the kitchen. What could he make for breakfast? There wasn’t much he could cook, but he could at least attempt to make some eggs- not quite traditional… but nutrient dense. He’d make a stack of toast as well. He began cooking some eggs in a frying pan and some bread in the oven.He scrambled the eggs and he finished waiting for them to set, he figured he could close his eyes and catch up on some sleep- which turned out to be a mistake. 

The rest of the family was still fast asleep- well, until Adrien caught the strong smell of burning wafting up into his room. He panicked, quickly springing out of bed and grabbing his cellphone- something was incredibly wrong. Clad in just his boxers and a t-shirt, he rushed down the stairs- and the smoke alarms began to sound. He covered his ears, the sound far too loud for his liking at this hour. He walked towards the kitchen, clouds of smoking blinding his sight. Through the smoke, he could see his father, slumped over on the kitchen counter, seemingly not moving at all. Adrien was horrified. 

“DAD!” Adrien shouted, as he ran right into the smoke cloud. He shook his father. “Dad, wake up!” 

Gabriel instantly woke up, coughing violently as he stood straight up. “What’s going on?” 

“Did you try to cook?!” Adrien asked through his coughing, killing the heat on the charred remains on… whatever was in the pan. Gabriel turned off the oven, and opened the oven. He tried to pull his bathrobe over his nose and mouth, coughing even harder a few times. 

“I wanted to try and surprise Nathalie with breakfast… She’s so tired, Solomon is so colicky recently…” He explained. 

Adrien opened the kitchen window, and the door leading to the back of the house. “And so you, who is also so tired from the baby, decided to cook? What, did you think it was okay to close your eyes for a second while cooking?” 

The smoke began to dissipate, as father and son looked at the burnt food items in front of them. “Maybe…” Gabriel replied. He cringed, watching Adrien pick up what was supposed to be nicely toasted bread, however, it resembles more of a hockey puck in texture and colored. Adrien had his cellphone in hand, and he began to laugh. 

“Oh man… Marinette is going to get a good laugh out of this.” Adrien said, as he took a picture of the burnt food, and sent it off to Marinette. As he did that, Nathalie had rushed downstairs, holding the baby in one arm, and holding a dazed and confused Adeline’s hand. 

“What the hell happened down here?” Nathalie asked, glaring at the two men, looking over the burnt remnants of their breakfasts. 

Gabriel looked at Nathalie, as she looked exhausted with two small children on and beside her. “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast. You were so tired, and we had a particularly rough night last night, so I wanted to let you sleep.” 

She was touched, smiling as she let Adeline’s hand go, and approached her husband. “Mon amour… you’re so kind. But please, let me, or someone else do the cooking…” She kissed him gently on the lips. “Now, since we’re all up now, and the smoke is mostly gone, I’ll cook.” She presented the sleeping newborn to Gabriel, who took him and held him close. Adrien followed behind, and a tired Adeline trudged behind them, to leave Nathalie alone in the kitchen. Surprisingly, the fussy newborn slept through the whole debacle, making only soft grunts as he squirmed and kicked reflexively. After waiting about 15 or so minutes, Nathalie called for them all to eat- she had even plated everyone’s food nicely, with a stack of toast and jam on the table for them, as well as eggs on the plates. There were also glasses of water on the table- plus cups of coffee for the adults. Adeline had a kid-safe cup, as no one truly trusted her with actual glassware. 

As they sat down to eat breakfast, Solomon began to cry- again. Gabriel figured that the baby was hungry, so he handed the newborn over to Nathalie, who put her fork down and tried to comfort him. Of course, now the loud crying of the baby was right next to Adeline, who was just trying to eat in peace. Nathalie sighed, as she attempted to get him to feed- but he wouldn’t latch on. Adeline had enough. She felt herself losing control of herself and she picked up her cup of water and threw it at the wall.    
  


“SHUT UP!” Adeline screamed at the baby, who just continued to cry as Nathalie desperately was trying to soothe him. Eventually, he did latch on, and began to feed. Everyone resumed eating. Adeline, however, began her rant. “ALL YOU DO IS CRY! I HATE YOU!” She yelled again, as she just got up from the table and stormed back up the stairs. Adrien looked worried. Gabriel scowled as he stared at the sippy cup on the floor, and then looked to Nathalie. She already knew what he was thinking. 

“Don’t.” 

“You don’t think she deserves to be punished after that stunt?” 

“No, Gabriel. This is very new for her to have a baby around… please, be understanding.” 

“She demonstrated bad behavior…” 

Adrien protested, “Father, please… Adeline complains she can’t sleep when Solomon cries.” 

Gabriel looked at Adrien, and sighed. “You’re right. I haven’t been considering how she would be feeling. I’ll go talk to her now. Please excuse me.” He mumbled as he stood up from the table. Nathalie, Adrien and Solomon were left at the table. Nathalie and Adrien exchanged looks as they continued to eat- hoping that everything could go well. 

In her room, Adeline laid in her bed, beginning to cry into her pillow. She was tired, frustrated, and felt ignored mostly. Emilie watched, not coming to help knowing that Gabriel was coming. As she predicted, Gabriel entered Adeline’s room and immediately walked over to her bedside. He got down on one knee, and put a hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly. “Adeline… Adeline, please calm down.” He said in a hushed tone of voice. She lifted her head from the pillow, sniffling as she looked at him. 

“Papa… He won’t stop… I don’t like it.” 

“I know you don’t like it, ma princesse. Mama and I don’t like it either… but you can’t yell at your baby brother to shut up.” 

“Why?” 

“Because that’s not nice… and it’s also not okay to throw things when you’re angry.” 

Adeline began to cry again, “‘M sorry, Papa…” 

“I know you’re sorry. Come here, mon papillon…” He mutters, and pulls her in a hug. “Now, I know you also don’t hate your brother either… You do love him, right?” 

Between her sobs, she stuttered, “Y-Yes, Papa...” 

Gabriel frowned as he combed his fingers through her unbrushed hair. “Can you stop crying? And will you apologize to your baby brother and mama for what you did?” 

She nodded, as she took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes. She hugged him tighter. “Okay, I say sorry.” 

He smiled as they held each other for just a few moments together. He stood up, and carried her down the stairs, and back to the dining room. Nathalie and Adrien were pleased to see them come back. Adeline walked to pick up her sippy cup from the floor, and looked up at Nathalie. The young girl apologized to her mother, and then her baby brother. Of course, Nathalie had forgiven her, and gave her daughter a hug. Adeline even gave Solomon a kiss on his head. He was sound asleep again, peaceful as Gabriel and Adeline sat down to finish their breakfast. Adrien had already finished, and excused himself to return to his room to get ready for the day. As Adeline was eating, it was evident that the poor girl was thoroughly exhausted. Nathalie and Gabriel looked at each other and agreed- let the toddler nap after she finished her breakfast. Clearly she needed it, and they’d like to avoid another meltdown. Soon, the small child finished her breakfast, and she yawned softly. 

Once they were all done, they left their plates at the table, and they all headed up the stairs. Gabriel and Nathalie decided to try something new- Gabriel had installed a white noise app on his phone, in hopes it may help her sleep better. Nathalie put Adeline in her bed, pulling up the blanket over her. He started the white noise, leaving the device nearby. They both headed toward the door, wishing their daughter a good rest. The last thing Adeline saw before going to sleep was the door shutting silently as her parents exited the room. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in her dream realm again. Thank goodness, because she hadn’t been here in quite a while. Emilie was present, as if she was expecting the young girl to arrive so soon. 

“We’re glad to see you resting… I understand that your baby brother is causing some troubles for you?” Emilie asked, knowing very much that Solomon was already an opposite to his sister. While Adeline was a rather easy baby, he was far more difficult as he presented so far. Colic was no fun, for him and for his parents. 

Adeline sighed, looking a bit upset. She just wants to fix it and make him better. She can’t stand the crying, and was thankful that he was being rather good this morning, only to have her decent sleep being ruined by her father trying to cook. He was a fashion designer, not a chef- and he should stick to what he’s good at. “He won’t stop…” She mumbled. 

“I know he won’t… he just has colic. It’s a condition that some babies have that make them cry a lot, even if nothing’s wrong. I’m sure it’ll all pass soon…” Emilie assured her. Adeline looked up at Emilie, and then went to hug her. 

“I want him happy.” The young girl responded. “I made him sad.” 

“Because you yelled at him?” 

“Yeah…” 

“Well, I don’t think he’s quite old enough to understand what you said… you probably just scared him by yelling. I know you were frustrated, but there’s no reason to raise your voice…” 

“I know…” 

“Your papa and mama are trying their best- it’s not exactly easy for them, either. They’re very tired, just like you. It’s a miracle that Adrien is getting good rest, though I shouldn’t be too surprised… he’s always been a heavy sleeper. Well, now that you’re here… perhaps I can try and help you work on some of your guardian powers…” 

Adeline’s eyes widened in eagerness, and she nodded vigorously. There were quite a few things Emilie had in mind to teach her, though perhaps she could teach the young child something that may prove to be helpful in her current situation- a simple soothing or healing touch spell. It was best to calm tears, and heal various injuries, but usually only mild or moderate cuts, scrapes and bruises. It could also help speed up the healing of any broken bones, though it doesn’t fix any severe injuries- that would be up to the medical professionals in the world. It was rather simple- a small child like her should be able to handle and learn it with no problems. 

Emilie instructed and demonstrated to her to first start by touching her fingers to her forehead, then her chest, and then to her shoulders- like a cross. As Adeline mimicked the motions, the tips of her index, middle and ring fingers began to glow a shimmery gold color. Emilie had summoned a practice target- a simple stuffed animal with a minor tear on its surface. Adeline pressed her fingers to the tear, and the tear was fixed. The young toddler was fascinated- it was almost like nothing had even happened to the bear, wherever it may have come from. Emilie was impressed- Adeline already seemed to understand how to use the spell perfectly. The angel gave the young child a pat on the head. “Very good… Maybe you can try and use that on Solomon the next time he cries. You may be surprised that it may stop his colicky nature.” 

“Thank you…” Adeline grinned, as she hugged the angel even tighter now. Emilie truly was a life saver- she can finally sleep again, and her brother can be a fairly happy baby, or at least not cry for seemingly no reason anymore. Emilie had also told her that once she starts up the spell, she only has ten seconds to think about what she wants to heal. If she waits too long, it will cancel and she would have to wait quite a bit to attempt to recast it. If she tried to recast too early, there would be a negative consequence on her. Adeline understood. After the little bit of magical training, the two of them spent the remaining duration of Adeline’s slumber playing games, and of course, bringing her pony dreams to life. It was so cool being able to talk to your favorite characters and being able to play with them. After visiting the Canterlot Palace and helping Princess Twilight, it was time for Adeline to wake up from her nap. After bidding her temporary goodbyes to Emilie, Adeline awoke. She sat up in bed and thankfully felt much more refreshed. She yawned softly, slightly groggy still. Papa’s cellphone was sitting on the dresser, right by her bed, and she wondered why. It must have been an accident- so she figured she would go and find him. When she hopped out of bed, she stood on her tiptoes to grab Gabriel’s cellphone, before setting out to find him. 

She had no idea how long she was asleep for, but she wondered where everyone was. It was really quiet. Adrien had gone to fencing practice, which would explain why he and his fencing gear was gone when she went to go see him. She shrugged, and proceeded down the hall to her mom and dad’s room- and they weren’t there either. She could see her baby brother asleep in his bassinet, swaddled comfortably and with a pacifier in his mouth. Perhaps that is what was keeping him quiet all this time. She left the door open, but left the room. She’d have to come back later. The last place she could think of to check for her papa and mama were downstairs- so she went downstairs. They weren’t in the dining area, so they must have been in their office. Now, she knew better than to just walk in, so she knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” Nathalie replied, and the door opened. She was surprised to see Adeline, still in her pajamas this late into the morning, and almost into the afternoon, and holding Gabriel’s cellphone. 

“Here, Papa.” Adeline walked over to Gabriel, holding up his phone to him. He smiled at her, and took his phone from her. 

“Thank you, ma princesse… That was very kind of you to bring this to me.” He replied, as he went to pick her up. “How are you feeling? Better?” 

“Yes, a lot better.” She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked at him. 

Nathalie smiled warmly at the sight. “We’re both happy to hear that you’re feeling better, dear. Now, how about we get you dressed for the day now that you’re up?” 

Adeline agreed, as Gabriel set her down on the ground. She ran over to Nathalie, and she held her hand as they retreated to Adeline’s room. After helping her get dressed for the day, and running a brush through her hair until all the tangles were gone, Nathalie smiled. “That’s my pretty girl… Now, your father and I are going to be working downstairs, if you need us, or if your brother starts to cry. You’ll be okay up here, right?” 

“Yes Mama.” Adeline smiled, as she walked to the door alongside Nathalie. After giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead, Nathalie returned downstairs. Once she was gone from sight, Adeline stepped out of her room, and walked into her parents’ room. She had been told numerous times to not bother Solomon while he was sleeping, but there was no harm in just watching him while he sleeps, right? She looks around, and then walks over to the large bed. Getting up would be present itself to be a challenge- the bed higher off the ground than she was tall. She supposed now would be the time to put her problem solving skills to the test. 

She grips onto the bedding on the top of the mattress, and tries to pull herself up that way. It didn’t work, but she wasn’t going to quit now. She noticed that there was just enough space on the bed frame for her to place her foot. She stepped up onto the bed frame with one foot and then the other, and used her strength to pull herself up. Once she was on, she crawled over to the side of the bed with the bassinet next to it, and peered into it. She smiled when she saw her little brother in there, looking so peaceful and innocent as he slept. He may have just been sleeping, but honestly, Adeline found it quite interesting, for whatever reason. She just wanted to hug him, though she didn’t think her parents would like it too much if she invited herself into the bassinet. 

Instead, she just opted to gently rest her hand on top of his chest. He seemed to respond to it, making soft grunting noises and wiggling slightly in the swaddle. Adeline giggled a little, finding all the little noises he made very adorable. Well it was cute, until he started to squirm, and then began to cry again. The pacifier fell out of his mouth as he worked out his lungs. Now, it was time to test out her new spell! She was trying to remember how to start it… it was simple and yet she couldn’t remember. Her frustration was rising again, as Solomon’s cries began to pick up. She remembered now. She brought her hand to her forehead, to her chest, and then to her shoulders, and her fingertips began to glow. She closed her eyes, and placed the three fingers to his forehead gently. The energy dissipated from her touch, transferring into him. He stopped crying almost immediately, peacefully returning to sleep. Unfortunately though, Nathalie had witnessed the whole thing from the doorway. 

“Is everything alright here, Adeline?” Nathalie asked, as she raised a brow. She didn’t even care that her child was in the room, like she wasn’t supposed to be. 

“Yes, Mama.”

Nathalie took one step back. Well, there was no point in her being here. “Alright… well… I’ll leave you two alone then.” She replied, as she proceeded to head downstairs. Did she really see what she just saw? She had to. She shook her head, as she reentered the office downstairs. 

“Nathalie, was everything okay?” Gabriel asked, noticing that his wife seemed put off by something.

“Everything’s okay.” She replied, going back to work. He wasn’t convinced, but decided not to press her for answers now, as it seems like she’d rather not discuss it. Nathalie continued to think- how could she get Adeline to activate her magic touch again? She needed to show Gabriel- it’s something that needs to be seen to be believed. Tomorrow would be a good time...


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camera captures more than just memories today.

When he woke up the following morning, Gabriel immediately flew into a panic. He had totally forgotten that today was the day new family portraits were going to be shot. He had also forgotten that the kids’ new outfits were also not complete, and that he needed to finish those before this afternoon. There was no time to waste- he had to get to work now. Not even bothering to get dressed or put himself together in any semblance of being presentable, he raced out of the room. He made sure to close to shut the door quietly, as not to wake his newborn son and wife. Once the door was shut, he sped to his sewing room, and turned on the lights. He cringed at the bright lights as he looked at his mannequins. Thank God he had at least started the outfits for the kids, but there was still so much work to do. Adrien’s suit jacket still needed to be finished sewing, and the tie needed to be made. Adeline’s dress needed to be hemmed and the ribbon belt needed to be made. Solomon’s matching outfit was at least mostly done- just some last minute polishing. Gabriel found himself gushing over the tiny tie for him, and how sweet he will look next to his big siblings. 

No time to fawn over details, he must get to work. He removed the suit jacket off the mannequin, and stepped over to his sewing machine. He loaded a spool of mint green thread into the machine, and hastily sat in his chair, and lining up the inverted sleeve inseam under the needle. As he started the machine up, he cursed himself up and down. How could he be so stupid? How could he forget to do this ahead of time? He was usually quite punctual with his work deadlines, but he supposed that perhaps this one slipped his mind. Though he was working as fast as he could, it wasn’t fast enough. Nevertheless, he pressed on, as he finished up sewing the suit jacket together, and began to hand sew the buttons. He kept muttering various expletives under his breath, particularly as he kept repeatedly pricking his fingers with the needle on accident. 

As Nathalie woke up to the sound of her baby fussing by her right, she slowly opened her eyes and sat up. Whatever Adeline did to him, it worked very well. She had to wake up Solomon every few hours or so for him to eat, but aside from that, he slept, and so did she. She felt like a person and not a zombie. She picked up her baby boy from the bassinet and held him close. 

“Good morning, baby boy... you must be hungry…” She mumbled, as she lifted her shirt. As she began to feed him, she noticed something was off- Gabriel wasn’t next to her. She couldn’t hear the water running, so he wasn’t showering. Her heart dropped to her stomach- was he cooking breakfast again? He better not. She didn’t smell burning, or hear any concerning sounds from anywhere. His robe and slippers were still in the room, so he couldn’t have gone too far. Once Solomon had finished nursing, she fixed herself up, and held him upright over her shoulder. As she shifted herself out of bed, she began to pat the baby’s back gently. She embarked on a search for her husband. Using her foot, she pushed the door open delicately, and once the door was opened, she paused. Her ears could pick up the sound of a sewing machine, as well as the sound of Gabriel cursing. Following her ears, she approached his sewing room, and opened the door. 

“There you are… what are you doing?” She asks, squinting to focus her vision, as she hadn’t put her glasses on. 

“Um.... Just now finishing the kids’ outfits… for the photoshoot this afternoon…” His voice trailed off as he had finally completed Adrien’s outfit. He hung the pink tie around the neck of the mannequin. 

Nathalie expressed her frustration with a sigh. “Are you serious? You didn’t finish these before? How the hell did you forget?! You told me that these were done!” 

“Um… well, I suppose I got distracted by other things… Don’t worry my love, I will have these done very soon! I promise!” 

“If you say so…” She sighed, as she shifted Solomon in her arms- now cradling him delicately. “Would you like me to bring you your cup of coffee?” 

“That would be splendid. Thank you.” He replied, as he was tailoring the dress, and started making a pink ribbon belt for the dress- a shade to match the boys’ ties. She exited the room, and headed downstairs, to brew some coffee for them both. This morning, the chef was here- and she requested that they prepare breakfast. From upstairs, Nathalie’s attention piqued when she heard a door open, and then a second door open. 

It was just Adeline, waking up, and instead of coming downstairs, going into Adrien’s room. Once she had broken into his room, she ran over to his bed, and pulled herself onto it. She crawls over Adrien, accidentally pushing her knee into his stomach. He sputtered as his eyes shot open, only to see her smiling down at him. 

“Good morning, Adri!” Adeline smiled at him. 

As annoyed as he was about being woken up, he couldn’t stay too mad at a smile like that. “Morning, Adeline. Did you sleep well?” 

She nodded. “I made Solly better.” 

“Oh? And how did you make him ‘better’?” Adrien asked, just assuming she meant that she got him to stop fussing by helping take care of him. 

“My friend showed me! Now he don’t cry much...” She exclaimed proudly. 

“Oh, that’s cool… Hey, how about we go get some breakfast?” 

“Okay… let’s go!” Adeline sprung out of his bed, giggling as she looked to Adrien. He smiled at her playfully, and got out of bed. He took her hand, and they headed downstairs. They greeted Nathalie, and Solomon, of course, as breakfast was being served. They sat down, and began to eat. Though, Adeline knew something was missing. 

“Where’s Papa?” She inquired, mouth full of toast. 

Nathalie swallowed, eating her breakfast with one hand. “He’s busy, sweetheart. We’ll take him his breakfast and coffee upstairs once we finish, okay?” 

“What is he doing?” 

“Working on your outfits for our pictures today.” 

Adeline shrugged, as she continued to eat her toast, and then began to drink her chocolate milk. Once they all had finished, it was time to give Gabriel his breakfast. Adrien was told to grab the cup of coffee, and Adeline was in charge of bringing up the main course. She held the plate as she followed Nathalie up the stairs. As the family approached the door to Gabriel’s sewing room, they heard a loud crash, followed by Gabriel shouting. Nathalie pushed the door open, looking at him in worry. He was sitting on his chair, seeming in pain as he had his head tilted downward. He was holding a tissue to his face. Nathalie’s eyes widened a little, as Adeline rushed over to him, nearly tripping over her own feet. 

“Papa, are you okay?” Adeline asked, as she stood before him. Gabriel took the plate of toast and jam from her, and placed it on the desk. 

“Yes, ma princesse, I’m okay… Papa just… had an accident.” He said, while still pinching his nose, and holding the tissue. He looked to the tiny pile of bloodied tissues on his sewing table, and then his bandaged fingers. 

Adeline then remembered- her healing spell! Maybe it can work on her papa’s injured fingers. She pulled on his shirt, and he helped her to sit on his lap. “I make you better, Papa.” She replied. She cued up the spell, crossing her fingers across her body like a crucifix. Her fingertips began to glow, as she gently laid her hand in his. Almost instantly, the bandages from his fingers disappeared, and his pricked, sore and slightly bloody fingertips were back to normal. Nathalie watched, eyes widened as she observed her daughter- that was the same thing she did to Solomon to stop his crying. Was Adeline cursed, or was she blessed? Nathalie had no idea anymore. Adrien did a double take, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. They looked at each other in confusion. 

“What was that?” Adrien whispered. 

“She did that yesterday. I think it’s some sort of magic spell…” 

“And how does she know that?

Nathalie shrugged. It wasn't her- and it was certainly not Adrien or Gabriel. 

“Now, since I have all three kids here… how would you like to try on your new outfits? So that I can make sure they’re perfect?” He asks. Nathalie nodded, as Adrien and Adeline began to change out of their pajamas, and tried on the new dress clothes. Gabriel fussed over them, straightening their coats, and the dress, of course. Gabriel took a step back, and smiled at his work, and Nathalie smiled too.

“You all look wonderful… excellent. I’ll just clean them up and polish off the stitching…” Gabriel said, demanding for all the garments back, so he may continue to work at them. Nathalie encouraged the older kids to leave him alone, so that he can work in peace. They all exited the room, to get tidied up for the photos, as Gabriel kept working. He was taking bites of his toast, drinking his coffee, all while finalizing the garments and making them look neat. He was working much slower, as to avoid more injuries. By the time he was finished, he only had two or so hours to get himself ready- shower, dress, and fix his hair. He hastily exited his sewing room, passing Nathalie on the way. 

“Everything is finished- let the kids get dressed, and make sure they don’t do anything to get themselves dirty!” He explained to her, as he power walked into the master bedroom, and beelined to the bathroom. Nathalie watched, and simply shrugged. She entered the sewing room, and collected his emptied coffee mug and plate with residual crumbs of toast leftover. After bringing the dishes into the kitchen, she returned to the room, and approached his sewing table. Gabriel had even organized them into piles for each kid- surprising, as the rest of this room had looked like a tornado blew through it. He didn’t even bother to toss the bloodied tissues off to the side. With an eye roll, she tossed them all into the nearby garbage can, before scooping up the stacks of clothes in her arms. She went around, and began to deliver them- Adrien was easy- he was a young adult and could at least dress himself. She knocked on his bedroom door, and handed him the stack of clothes. He thanked her, and closed the door to shower and get dressed. She then walked over to Adeline’s room. 

When Nathalie opened the door, she was horrified to see the child scribbling all over her arms with her markers. She was thankful they were washable, but she was irritated at the thought of having to bathe her and having to really wash her well. 

“Adeline, come on! Why would you do something like that?” Nathalie huffed, slightly irritated.

“I wanted to look pretty, Mama- like you.” 

Now Nathalie was conflicted- how could she be mad at something so sweet? “Ma loulette, you’re already pretty… you don’t need to color on yourself with markers to be pretty. Come on, let’s get you in the bath.” 

Adeline pouted, but then stood up, as Nathalie led her to the bathroom. Since the child’s hair was clean as is, Nathalie put her daughter’s hair up so it wouldn’t get wet. Thankfully, it didn’t take too much scrubbing to get all the marker scribbles off, but it was still a huge nuisance, especially on Nathalie’s knees and back. Once Adeline was cleaned, Nathalie bundled her up in a towel, and helped her get dressed. 

“Do not do that again, or you’ll be in big trouble.” Nathalie told Adeline sternly, collecting her markers and putting them high up so that she couldn’t get into them. 

“Yes, Mama…” Adeline said, as she sat on the floor in her room, looking up at Nathalie, who was gathering Solomon’s outfit from the top of the dresser. As she left the room, Adeline followed. 

“Is there something you need, ma loulette?” Nathalie asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway once she realized she was being followed. 

Adeline looked up at her, folding her arms behind her back- just like her father. “I just wanna see baby Solly.” 

“Okay, but you have to be quiet and calm around him. Can you do that for me?” 

Adeline nodded, as Nathalie proceeded into the master bedroom. She helped Adeline onto the bed, before removing Solomon from his bassinet and laying him on the bed, and began to strip him out of his sleeper. Adeline watched intently, watching her baby brother squirm as he was freed from his pajamas. He was so cute, she just wanted to give him kisses and hug him- but knew she had to do it gently. Mama already yelled at her for being a little too rough with him. Nathalie decided that he should be fed now- so that he would sleep through the pictures, so she sits down on the bed, and picks up her baby, and begins to feed him. Adeline watched, curious. 

“Mama, what are you doing?” 

“Feeding your baby brother.” Nathalie said, as she invited Adeline to sit closer. 

“Why didn't he eat toast with us?” 

“He’s still a bit too young for that. When he’s older, then he will.” Nathalie explained, hugging Adeline to her with one arm. 

“Did I eat like that too?” 

“Yes, you did, though you were far more stubborn than he was.” Nathalie teased, as she kept her eye on Solomon, and then Adeline. The young girl seemed to be quite interested, for some reason unknown to Nathalie- perhaps it was just a toddler thing. Once Solomon was properly fed, and burped, she began to dress him. 

“Can I help?” Adeline asked, picking up the tiny pair of dress pants from the bed. She gave Nathalie big, pleading eyes. 

Nathalie sighed- of course she’d want to help, which would make it harder for her. However, it would be mean to say no. So she replied, “yes, but you must be gentle. And let me tie the tie, okay?” 

Adeline nods, as she began to help Nathalie dress Solomon. It was like dressing a baby doll, but only one that moved, squirmed and was very fragile. Now, it was Nathalie’s turn to get ready, now that the kids were ready, and Gabriel was out of the shower. Just as she was about to place the baby in his bassinet, Adeline stopped her. 

“Can I hold him?” 

Nathalie hesitated, as she looked to Gabriel, who was getting dressed at the moment. “Alright… but please be careful, sweetheart.” She went to fetch the breastfeeding pillow, and placed it on the young girl’s lap. Nathalie then gently laid the baby on top of it, and made sure that Adeline was holding him properly. She even moved the young girl so that she was sitting back against the pillows. As she slowly stepped away from the young kids, Nathalie approached Gabriel and whispered, “watch them, please.” 

“I will, don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” He assured her. She gives him a kiss on the cheek, before walking into the bathroom. As he continued getting ready, buttoning up his shirt, tying his tie, and then gelling his hair into its normal style, he was keeping his eye on Adeline through the mirror. She was just sitting there quietly as she held her brother close to her. Solomon was sleeping peacefully, contently holding his sister’s finger as he slept. After the few moments of peace and quiet, Solomon began to fuss- squirming around in the pillow. Adeline began to panic, as she looked around. 

“Papa, help!” She shouted, as Gabriel turned around, and rushed over to them. 

He picked up Solomon, and began to rock him gently, looking at Adeline. “You know what, ma princesse? Can you get his pacifier for me? It’s right over there.” He asked her, gesturing to the nightstand. She looked over and spotted it, and then nodded. She fetched the pacifier, and then stood up on the bed. She approaches Gabriel, and he tells her to place the pacifier into Solomon’s mouth gently. When she did that, he instantly stopped crying, and took to it. “Good job.” Gabriel praised her. 

Adeline smiled, and leaned in, resting her head on her dad’s shoulder as she stared at her brother. “I’m glad he better.” Gabriel chuckled in slight amusement, before sitting her down on the bed and letting her hold him again. Things were starting to become a lot smoother at that point, as Adeline kept up her best behavior- as Gabriel had promised her the night before that if she behaved her best during pictures, he would get her a chocolate bar. She wanted that chocolate bar badly, so she knew that she had to be a good girl, just as she was asked, especially during the pictures. It was hard to be perfectly behaved for so long, but she knew that it’d be worth it. 

When the photographer arrived an hour and a half later, she knew it was time to be extra well behaved. All five Agrestes were properly dressed, cleaned up and ready. They started with the kids only pictures. As the shoot was about to start, Gabriel gently reminded Adeline of the promise she made to him- one that apparently Nathalie was not aware of, as she shot a dirty glare at her husband as the kids were getting into position. The photographer began to give them instructions, and the kids followed them- though Adeline needed a little help, she was doing her best. As the photographer was shooting photos, Gabriel and Nathalie looked at each other, and smiled warmly to each other. Nathalie leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his. Gabriel’s heart felt so full, with his wife by his side and his three kids looking like angels as the photographer was working his magic. Little did he know, there were real angels present. 

Adeline had told Emilie, Alaire and Elaine about the family pictures, and how she was a little nervous, because she didn’t know what to expect. She never had her picture taken professionally before, at least not that she could remember. After some reassurance that it’ll be okay, Adeline didn’t think it was fair that the three of them couldn’t be there. After all, they were family- to her, and to the rest of her living family members. Adeline invited them to come, and after some reluctance at first, they decided to join in. Just as the photographer was wrapping up the kids only portion of the shoot, the three of them decided to join in- Adeline could see them, and smiled at their presence surrounding her and her siblings. Adrien could feel it too- but when he looked around, he could see no one. Though at unease, he just simply shrugged it off, watching his little brother squirm a little. It seems like even the littlest Agreste could feel something too. 

The photographer called for the parents to join in- and so Gabriel and Nathalie joined in. As the family shots were being taken, Gabriel swore he felt a hand on his shoulder- a touch that felt so familiar and one he hadn’t felt in years- like Emilie. In between shots, he looked at Nathalie, and it wasn’t her hand he felt. He was convinced he was going mad now, but little did he know that Nathalie was feeling the same thing. She felt two touches- ones she hadn’t felt since she was a young teenager. It felt so real- but Gabriel’s hand was at her waist. She concluded that simply it must have been a draft… or something. For now, she, and Gabriel just had to keep on smiling, or smiling to the best they could muster, and ignore their feelings for now. 

It was time for some parents only shots- the kids, and angels bowed out, and watched from the side. Adeline stepped a few steps away from the scene, so she could speak to the angels in “private”. She had thanked them for coming, and they thanked her for being so kind as to include them at all. As the photoshoot wrapped up and the photographer left, Gabriel praised Adeline for her good behavior- and rewarded her as promised with a chocolate bar.

“Hey, what about my chocolate bar?” Adrien pouted, jokingly asked. 

Gabriel sighed softly and shook his head. “Aren’t you a little old for bribery? Well, I’ll get you one too…” 

“I was joking, Father... But if you’re serious about offering me chocolate…” 

Gabriel chuckles dryly, and puts a hand on Adrien’s shoulder, “I’ll get you chocolate too, then.” As he went to give his oldest child chocolate, both kids were happy about this. The rest of the day went on as usual, once everyone was changed back into their normal attire. No one had spoken about the strange feelings of touch they had felt during the portrait session. They all assumed that it was just them and that the others would belittle them or call them mad. Though, eventually they realized that they weren’t going insane after all. 

When the proofs came back from the photographer, Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie and Adeline all looked at them fondly, until they noticed some strange shadows and blurs of light in some of the sample pictures. Adeline didn’t find it off, but the other three did. They stared at each other, before awkwardly looking away. 

“I like the uh… lighting, on that one.” Gabriel commented. 

Nathalie quickly agreed with a “yep, me too.” 

“Alright, enough with this. Clearly something’s up in these. Did you two feel hands on your shoulders during these pictures, yes or no?” Adrien bluntly asked his father and stepmother. They responded with a yes. 

“Those were just my friends!” Adeline replied, in an attempt to calm them all down. 

They all smiled at her. “Oh Adeline, that’s very sweet of you to think your imaginary friends were with us…” Gabriel said, as he patted her head gently. 

Adeline just huffed, and decided to remain quiet now as they speculated on. They wouldn’t believe her anyway... though she was amused with their speculations- the sun through the windows, the overhead lighting, the camera. After that, Adrien asked Gabriel and Nathalieif he could have Alya come and look at the pictures- since she was super into paranormal sightings and stuff. With great hesitance, they agreed, though doubtful of the aspiring journalist’s analysis. 

When Adrien informed Alya about the findings he had, and asked for her assistance, she was more than happy to lend her assistance. After all, Alya loved to crack a good mystery, and this one was no different. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya investigates, while Adeline saves someone in peril. However, new trouble arises.

The Agreste Family eagerly awaited their visit from Alya Cesaire. If anyone was more excited than Adrien, it was Gabriel and Nathalie. They were desperate for answers- both sure that the supernatural was real… though who could possibly be doing this to them? They knew their daughter was special, but didn’t expect her to be quite this special. The idea of an exorcism was previously thrown out as a joke by Gabriel… and now he was seriously considering it. He was getting more and more freaked out that whatever energy around was going to hurt him, and his family. He was more concerned for Adeline, though, since she seems to deal with all that energy on a regular basis as if it’s normal. His concern was that the energy would turn bad, and things would go horribly wrong, and Adeline would perish. 

As the door was answered, Gabriel looked down at Alya, who had brought her boyfriend along as well. They had two gift bags as well. 

“Good afternoon, Mister Agreste… Adrien invited me over. Oh, and I know that Adeline’s a big sister now… so, I brought her, and your new baby, a gift.” Alya explained, with a smile. Gabriel had side-eyed Nino, who smiled pleasantly and waved. 

“Correct. Please, come in.” He replied, stepping aside for them to enter. “I’m sure that Adeline will be very grateful that you were thinking of her- as we are for thinking about our new son.” Just as he remarked that, Adrien rushed down the stairs, and shortly behind him, Adeline did too. She was excited to see Alya, but was doubly surprised to see Nino. 

“Hey Alya, hey Nino! Thanks for coming,” Adrien said, as he hugged them both. The two of them returned the hug, as Adeline ran over to the three of them. 

“Hey Addy, I hear that you’re being an amazing big sister… Guess what we got you?” Alya presented Adeline with the bag. Adeline took the bag, and reached inside, carefully pulling the tissue paper out of the bag.

Her eyes lit up in excitement as she pulled out another stuffed pony- Starlight Glimmer. Starlight had become a recent favorite of Adeline’s, so she was very excited to have a physical representation. “Thank you sissy Alya!” Adeline said excitedly, eagerly embracing Alya. 

Alya chuckles, and hugs the young girl back. “Anything for my favorite three-year-old in Paris.”

As Nino, Adeline, and Adrien headed back upstairs, Alya had noticed that the new-again parents seemed rather tired with their newborn… so she offered, “If you would like, Mr. and Mrs. Agreste… I can hold your baby for you.” 

Gabriel and Nathalie looked at each other for a moment. Could they really trust one of Adrien’s friends with their child? Nathalie nodded approvingly- assuring Gabriel that they could trust the journalist with their newborn- granted she washed her hands. After all, Alya was used to caring for her two younger sisters. “Alright, but would you mind washing your hands?” 

Alya didn’t mind at all- she headed to the bathroom, listening to Gabriel’s instructions on where to find it. Once she had washed them thoroughly and returned to the atelier, Nathalie passed Solomon to Alya. The newborn seemed quiet content with being held by the aspiring news writer, seeming to even curl up to her chest. 

Alya cradled Solomon delicately, beaming down at him as he had nestled himself to her. “Oh, he’s so sweet... What’s your name, little guy?” 

“His name is Solomon.” Nathalie smiled as well, relieved that her baby seemed comfortable with her. He was a very particular baby, and only enjoyed certain people holding him. 

“What a perfect name for him. Nice to meet you.” Alya gushed, watching as Solomon smiled reflexively in his sleep. Now it was time to get down to business. Alya stood between Gabriel and Nathalie, as they pulled the proofs up onto the large, standing computer in front of them. She began her detective work, scrolling through her evidence and analyzing what she has. She was intrigued with what she will find.

While Alya, Gabriel, and Nathalie were hard at work, Nino and Adrien were hard at play. They were sitting on the white couch, playing Street Fighter, of course. Adeline could hear them whooping and hollering from her room, with both doors closed. As she sat on her bedroom floor, playing with her new Starlight doll, she felt a strange pain in her head. She dropped her doll, and put her hands on her head. Something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. Whatever it was though, it felt like someone was in danger. In her mind, she saw something- a mirror. It was a hand mirror, golden with intricate details. It seemed like it belonged in another era, and she wasn’t even sure if this was in her house.

She began to panic, standing up as her vision was clouded. All she could see was that mirror, but she didn’t know where to find it. She quickly stood up, and stumbled to her door, and pushed it open. She began to hyperventilate as she ran towards her parents room- her vision still clouded, but no mirror in sight. She really hoped that mirror was in her parents’ room- her gut told her it was, and she overheard her papa say to trust her gut. From her peripheral vision, she could see a golden glow to her left- that had to be it. She walked to the dresser, and tried to grab it from the top of the dresser. Unfortunately she was too short to grab it, so she would have to just come up with a plan. Being blinded by the glow of the hand mirror radiating from the top of the dress, she felt for the lower handles of the drawers and grunted as she began to scale the dresser. She finally was able to grab the mirror- and she snatched it. Finally, she could see again- but her fingers tingled as she contacted the handle, like several tiny static shocks at the tips of her fingers. 

When she looked into the mirror, something bizarre happened. She didn’t see her reflection, but instead she saw the familiar face of Emilie, but something was off about her appearance there. Emilie looked like she had gotten into a fight- her wing feathers ruffled, face scratched and bleeding, her halo was cracked, and bits of her long flowy gown were tattered. Emilie merely stared blankly at her through the mirror- and Adeline began to panic. She began to hyperventilate in a panic again, as she hastily fled her parents’ room with the mirror in her hands. 

“Adeline, help me!” Emilie cried for help- she had gotten into a scuffle with some nasty demons, and was trapped between the mirror and the small gap between the spirit realm and the demon realm. Those nasty demons of hers were coming back to bite her in the butt. But judging by Adeline’s face… she couldn’t hear her pleas for help. She was signaling for help by sending magical impulses through the mirror, in hopes of getting the attention.

Adeline didn’t know what to do. She could hear her screams but she couldn’t see where she was. Her hands were burning though, as the mirror was radiating energy- it was crying for help as well. Eventually an audible, garbled voice cried for help was heard from the mirror. It sounded like Emilie… but if she was underwater, and trying to yell for help. Adeline screamed in terror, and dropped the mirror to the floor. Her hands felt like they were on fire, and she needed a way to break that mirror. 

Her attempt to step on the mirror’s surface failed, as her body weight wasn’t enough to break it. She scanned her room to try and find a toy to break it with. She grabbed some of her princess dolls, and slammed the feet of the doll into the surface of the mirror- of course, no breakage, but some scuffs and scratches were present. She’d just have to try harder, then. Her larger toys were too soft. She picked up the mirror, and threw it to the ground- though not hard enough. Not a scratch, even. She had only one last idea. In a last ditch effort, she picked it up, and swung it into the side of her dresser. The back of the mirror struck the wood, and that didn’t do much-- so she figured she should try swinging it so that the reflective surface hit the dresser instead. She was frustrated that it wasn’t working, so she yelled in frustration as she continued to swing the mirror into the dresser, harder and faster. 

From down the hall, Adrien and Nino could hear faint thumping, that was only growing faster, and louder. It caught their attention. Nino cringed in disgust. 

“Dude… are your parents actually…”   
  


“No, it’s not them… but that’s definitely coming from Adeline’s room.” Adrien flinched as he heard another scream. “C’mon we have to go tell my dad.” He tossed the controller onto the table, and Nino followed behind. Instead of actually going in to see if Adeline was okay, they ran past her room, and flew down the stairs. 

Alya’s investigation had concluded. There was no mistaking what she saw- those were definitely some sort of ghost sighting. She couldn’t tell if they were bad or good forces, but assuming that no one had been seriously hurt yet after nearly three years… they were definitely good forces. She turned to look at Gabriel square in the face. “Mister Agreste, I really do think those are spirits. Your family is being visited by the after life. I don’t think they’re out to hurt you… I think they’re looking over you, and your family.” 

‘You… really think so? Who on earth would--” He was cut off by the office door flying open. It was Adrien and Nino, and they looked worried. Gabriel sighed curtly, “Adrien, what have I told you about randomly entering my office?” 

Adrien protested, “but Dad, this is important! There’s lots of banging and yelling from Adeline’s room!” 

“And you didn’t think to go check yourself?” Nathalie asked, raising her eyebrow. 

“That doesn’t matter… come on, let’s go.” Gabriel urged, as he was speed walking towards the door. Nathalie and Alya followed behind, as they rushed up the stairs. Just before reaching the top of the stairs, there was a shriek, followed by the sound of what sounded like glass shattering, and then a thud. Assuming the worst, Nathalie raced ahead of them, and kicked the door open. Adeline was thankfully okay but she was curled up in a ball on the floor, staring at the remains of the broken mirror. 

“Adeline! Are you okay?” Nathalie asked, immediately sitting down next to her daughter and rubbing her back gently. 

“I’m fine, Mama…” Adeline replied, still spooked from her encounter. Gabriel looked at the mess. He could be angry about the mirror, but he could just buy a new one, after all… he made an assumption of what had happened, which was a mistake. 

Gabriel leaned into whisper to Nathalie as he picked up the bits of the broken mirror glass, “Don’t you think she’s a bit too old to be startled by her own reflection…?” 

Nathalie didn’t reply- simply glaring daggers at Gabriel. He took that as a cue to shut his mouth, and he continued to clean. She turned to Adeline. “What happened, sweetheart?” 

Adeline slowly sat up, as she watched her father cleaning up her mess. She could tell he was annoyed, but was refraining from saying anything negative. She looked at her mom, and began to recount her story. “There was a lady in there. I save her. She’s okay now.” Once she had finished, she looked around the room, but was met with some confused stares. It was a mirror- mirrors reflect. She must have been seeing her own reflection… right? 

Alya, Adrien and Nino stared at each other for a moment in confusion, and then looked to Gabriel. As he tossed the broken shards of mirror glass into the garbage can, Gabriel asked Adeline, “What did this lady look like?” 

Adeline tapped her chin, trying to figure out how to describe Emilie in terms she could think of. She points to Adrien. “Hair like Adrien…She has a pretty dress, wings, and a headband.” She had mistakenly described the golden ring around the crown of Emilie’s head, however. The adults could hardly believe it. That sounded very much like an angel to them… which meant that Alya was right after all. There were so many questions to ask her now. 

Gabriel then asked, “Does she have a name?” 

Adeline nodded simply. 

“Can you tell us?” 

“Her name is Emilie.” 

Gabriel, Nathalie and Adrien froze- no way, it couldn’t be. It must have been a coincidence. After all, Emilie was a very common name… perhaps it was a different one. Alya and Nino casually patted Adrien’s back. Adrien smiled a little, as he looked at them both. 

“What a lovely name she has…” Gabriel said, clearing his throat as he stood up. He took the base of the mirror, as he stood to his feet, and helped Nathalie up as well. Nathalie looked a bit startled, as she held Gabriel’s hand, even after she was standing on her feet. 

“Well, I believe that we… have to go back to work now. You’ll be okay here for a bit, right, dear?’ Nathalie asked Adeline, who simply nodded once again, and grabbed her new Starlight doll again. She just wished everyone would leave her room a little faster. She just wanted to talk to Emilie, alone, without the judgemental eyes from everyone else. She could see Emilie waiting to come and talk about what just happened. Gabriel and Nathalie made their way to the exit, but not before thanking Alya for her work. Alya simply smiled and handed baby Solomon back to Nathalie. Gabriel handed the young woman a 50 euro bill, much to her surprise, as a token for all her hard work. She was grateful, though very surprised at the generous tip. The kids then said their goodbyes to the toddler, and everyone finally exited the room. After they left, Adeline walked over and shut the door. With a sigh of relief, she retreated back to her soft chair, surrounded by her stuffed animals. She flopped down in her chair, with a sigh. She closed her eyes, as she clutched her stuffed Starlight close to her chest. Soon, Emilie came to her side. When Adeline opened her eyes, she was pleased to see that the angel had been healed- her halo was whole, her robes were pristine and white, and feathers were no longer ruffled. 

Emilie sat herself on the floor, next to the chair. She admired the stuffed animals around her. “Thank you, Adeline… you saved me. I’m proud of you.” 

To Adeline, however, it wasn’t such a large deal. She was happy to help because after all, Emilie was her friend, and almost like family to her at this point. Though she wondered why her papa, mama and big brother had all such visceral reactions to revealing Emilie’s name to them. Perhaps Emilie knew why. 

“Why did Papa, Mama and Adrien look so scared?” 

“Probably because they knew me very well when I was alive… and were surprised you mentioned my name. Though I don’t think they associated what you saw and myself as one in the same…” 

“Really?” 

Emilie nodded. “I was married to your Papa before he married your Mama. And Adrien is my son.” 

Adeline looked very surprised by the revelation- though she really shouldn’t be. She always thought Emilie and Adrien looked similar. “Really?!” 

“Didn’t I already tell you that?” Emilie raised a brow, watching Adeline’s tiny mind at work. She realized- she hadn’t openly mentioned that fact in quite a while, and was never really brought up around her by the other members of the family… so her having no recollection of this fact was understandable. “Though, now that I think of it… you really wouldn’t have remembered that…” 

“But what about Mama?” Adeline curiously asked. 

Emilie looked off to the side. She may as well tell the truth. “I… wasn’t always the nicest to your mother, Adeline. I admit that I was very mean to her, for no reason sometimes.” 

Adeline was surprised- Emilie was always so nice to her, so her being mean to Nathalie was a bit of a shock. She vaguely recounted the memory of Emilie using the peacock miraculous with malicious intent as well. She could only muster a “but why?” 

It was all stupid in hindsight. Emilie knew that Gabriel and Nathalie were close friends and had a special connection, ever since they were young. It made Emilie feel jealous of Nathalie- even though there was really no reason to. They had always seemed to be friendly, with no hints of romance on either side… well, as adults, anyway. Emilie thought that if she was mean and nasty enough to Nathalie, she’d leave and Gabriel would be all hers. She was glad that Nathalie was stubborn enough to to not allow the childish antics to get to her. “It’s a long story, Adeline. I don’t think someone your age would understand just yet…” Emilie simply replied. It was the truth- Adeline’s mind was simply too young to understand such adult concepts. “Again, just understand that people do lots of things they’re not proud of.” 

Adeline nodded. She just smiled and then leaned over the arm of her chair, and gave Emilie a hug. “It’s okay.I like you.” 

The angel was flattered, as she gave Adeline a hug as well. “I’m glad.... And I know now that your mama has a very good heart. She still wanted to help your father in his crazy schemes to bring me back… despite how I treated her. Your mama wanted to do what she thought would make your father happy. It turns out that they just needed each other, and I’m very glad for that.”

Adeline was fondly smiling at hearing Emilie speak so positively about her parents. Even though Emilie admitted she said and did mean things to them in the past… it was nice to see her genuinely grow and regret her actions. However, Adeline and Emilie’s happiness did not last long. They both heard some sinister snarls- though they couldn’t see anything. The angel then realized what was going on, and suddenly, she was fearful. 

“What was that…?” Adeline asked hesitantly. 

“Well… when you broke the mirror to help me escape… the demons chasing me also escaped through the broken mirror. These ones aren’t out to hurt you, however… so don’t be scared… but…” Emilie grew nervous. 

“But…?” 

“But they are out for your father. I tried my best to send them away, however I couldn’t get all of them. It’s surprising just how many want to come back to get him…” It was true- Emilie was trying to get them to go, but some of them were far too powerful, even for her. 

Adeline looked very scared. “Papa?!” 

“Now, don’t worry… these demons are usually silent and don’t attack often… only when emotionally vulnerable. Lucky for your father, that’s not often for him.” Emilie remarked, being a little snarky on her last remark. “But even when they do strike… we’re going to do it together, alright?” 

Adeline nodded. She was scared, but she knew that with Emilie, she could conquer it. She was just going to have to watch Gabriel closer now. Emilie thought this was a great idea, considering she knew how much he hated surprises… and he was in for a nasty one when the demons decided to strike him.


	25. Chapter 25

Ever since the shattering of the mirror, Adeline was notably a lot closer to Gabriel than she normally was. She’d get very upset if he had to go, and followed him practically everywhere. It was cute at first, but after about a month, it was starting to irk Gabriel. It was rather strange behavior, especially as she had always preferred to be alone, just like him. Gabriel had asked Doctor Landeau when Adeline went in for her three year appointment, on her third birthday just a few days prior. The doctor assured him that she’s still very young, and it’s normal for kids her age to have separation anxiety from their parents. It wasn’t Adeline fearing abandonment… it was fear that something bad was going to happen to Gabriel and she wouldn’t be there to help. She knew what to do in case he gets attacked, and she knew that he was in danger. It was only a moment that his emotional guard was down, and the demons could get into his psyche. 

Emilie was good at defeating the evil she saw. There were several demons out for Gabriel Agreste- and she had banished or purified the ones she encountered, depending on what type of demon they were. It had been about two months since the mirror was broken, and she and Adeline hadn’t even seen all of them. Sins, regrets and major mistakes personified were banished and dispelled, while angry, vengeful people were purified, and welcomed into the spirit realm. Emilie was surprised to see that one of those vengeful people was her own father. She had asked him why he was so vengeful to her husband, and Monsieur Graham de Vanily simply stated he didn’t like that “damned Gabriel Agreste- why couldn’t you have married that nice boy who lived a few doors away?”. She just sighed, and further pressed him for a why after those reasons- and he simply refused to budge. That was her papa for her- stubborn as an old mule, thought not surprising. None of her family ever particularly cared for Gabriel. Even so, Emilie still was going to protect him, after sending her papa back to the spirit realm, once he was purified. 

It was hard work, sure… but Gabriel was also pretty good at defending himself from the negative energy. The negative energy can’t affect a man who doesn’t express negative emotions more often. Unfortunately, today was one of those days where they would come out- at the most inopportune time. 

Adeline had been sticking by her parents’ side, even when they worked. It wasn’t an issue, usually- she played quietly in the corner of the office with her pony toys, and Solomon slept in a portable crib beside Nathalie, as Adeline did when she was his age. As she was playing with her toys, she felt herself getting sleepy. She yawned softly and stretched herself out. She clung to her stuffed Starlight Glimmer doll, and curled up on the floor as she roped in her Applejack doll close to her as well. Gabriel looked over to her, and stood up from his desk. He figured she couldn’t be comfortable on the cold, tile floor. 

“Alright, someone needs a nap…” He mumbled softly, as he bends down and scoops her up. She tensed up, and immediately started squirming. Gabriel was already frustrated- this isn’t the first time she’d fight a nap, but it drove him insane when she’d do this. 

“I not tired, Papa.” Adeline replied, as she looked up at him. She was lying, as she was yawning again. He rolled his eyes to himself, before taking a deep breath. 

“Ma princess, you are a very tired young lady… I can see it…” He was carrying her up to her bedroom. Once they made it into her room, and he tried to place her into her bed, she just clung to him. He was trying to pull her away from her, so that she would lay down, and that he could go back to work. 

Adeline whined, “Don’t go, Papa…” 

He curtly sighed. “I have to go back to work. You know that, mon papillon…” She just clings to him tighter, and his frustration was rising. “Adeline, let  _ go _ !” He raised his voice. That was enough to get her to let go. As he laid her in bed, she was sniffling like she was about to cry. He felt bad for yelling at her, but it was the only way she’d listen to him. 

“Papa, be careful…” She told him, just as he was about to leave. It was the same thing she’d tell him every night before she went to bed, and mostly every time she’d have to be far from him. 

He assured her, “I’ll be fine…” as a mindless affirmation that he would be extra safe when she was gone. He didn’t understand what she was talking about. What was he looking out for? She must know something that he doesn’t. Or, she just doesn’t want him to get hurt by falling down the stairs, or cutting himself… or accidentally sewing his finger. “Good night, ma princesse.” He said, as he quietly shut the door. 

Adeline smiled a little, feeling assured. Her papa never broke a promise, so when he said he’d be careful, she knew he would be. She turned on her side, facing the wall as her eyes slowly fell shut. She was cuddled with her blanket, and her stuffed ponies. As she fell asleep in the real world, and woke up in her dream realm, she was alarmed to not see Emilie, and just her grandparents. “Hey there kiddo! Glad to see ya.” Alaire said, going to hug his granddaughter. Adeline was happy to see him, and Elaine. She smiled up at them. 

“Hello, my dear… Alaire, where’s Emilie? She said she’d be back by now…” Elaine fretted, after greeting Adeline. 

“Now, don’t worry dear… Maybe she got held up. You know how Emilie is a very busy, popular spirit around here…” 

“She said that she had to go bust some demons… I hope she didn’t get turned… or worse.” 

Right as she said that, Emilie had joined them. She looked winded, as if she had just run a marathon. The holy fire-charged sword that she had been using vanished with a poof. She clears her throat. “Ahem… my apologies. There were some pesky demons out there… one of them being my own father.” 

“Your father? What happened to him?” Alaire asked. 

“I’m not sure how he ended up that way… but he was after Gabriel. I know he wasn’t very fond of him, but I didn’t think he’d want to get back at him in the after life…” Emilie sighed. 

The Sancoeurs exchanged looks. There were so many questions they wanted to ask, but figured it was best not to. Alaire cleared his throat. “Real shame- I think Gabriel’s a great man.” 

“I do too, but apparently my father didn’t think so… and neither do the several demons out for him. I accidentally encountered them, and they went after me. I got trapped and had to escape through the mirror. When Adeline broke the mirror, a lot of them escaped. I’ve been trying to get them all but I can’t find any of them… Adeline you haven’t seen any, have you?” Emilie asked. 

Adeline shook her head. Of course she hadn’t- she spent countless hours of her day sitting, and waiting… but nothing. Unless, she couldn’t see demons… and that thought scared her even more. What if they were just waiting, lying in the shadows? Dread settled at the pit of her stomach at the thought. 

Gabriel was still irritated from his daughter’s reluctance earlier, and that only was getting worse. The phone call he had taken was filled with nothing but bad news. The shipment with his prototypes somehow got lost. As the supervisor of the production plant kept talking, talking about how they’re going to replace it for free, though it’ll take weeks, he felt his anger rise. He was grateful for the replacement, but he was also beyond pissed they were lost. As he hung up, Nathalie looked over at him, concerned. He looked furious, and she slowly approached him. 

“Gabriel...? What’s the matter?” Nathalie asked him slowly.

“Those damn idiots… lost my prototypes!” He shouted. In an impulsive act, he picked up his sketchbook and threw it across the room. 

She rested a hand on his arm. “I understand you’re upset, but I don’t think shouting is necessary. 

He snapped, “No, you don’t understand! You don’t understand how important those designs were! You don’t--” But he was cut off as he found himself gasping, coughing in an attempt to try and open up his airway. At first she thought he just choked on a bit of saliva, but that changed when he coughed up viscous, black fluid. He slowly stopped, and turned his head- the black fluid dripping from his mouth, and staining his clothes. 

“Are you okay?” Nathalie hesitantly asked- she wanted to kick herself. Of course he wasn’t fine- what was that squid ink-like fluid coming out of his mouth?! 

“Yes, I’m okay…” He replied. He coughed again, a gush of the fluid pouring out of his mouth again. 

“.And you’re sure about that?” 

“Yes!” Gabriel shouted, “I’m just fine! Why do you keep asking?” When he yelled, Nathalie could hear a voice speaking alongside him- it was much deeper, and had a slight snarl to it. It sounded like an animal. Nathalie took a step back. She wasn’t going to ask if he was certain, because she knew something was wrong. Gabriel coughed again, the black ink dripping on the floor and ruining his clothes further… and then his skin started turning grey, as he kept coughing. He collapsed to his knees, putting his hands on the floor in the puddle of the substance he coughed up, only growing as he kept hacking. 

Nathalie back against the door. “ADRIEN!” She shouted as loud as she could. 

Adrien heard Nathalie’s plea for help- and she sounded terrified. Something was terribly wrong. He bolted out of his room and flew down the stairs. The atelier’s door flew open as Nathalie beckoned him inside. Adrien was horrified to see his dad, now unconscious and lying in a large pool of black liquid… which was quickly disappearing beneath him, as it slightly stained the floor tiles beneath him. “Oh my god, is he dead? What happened?” 

“I don’t know… he was angry, and in the middle of his rant, he just started coughing… I thought he was just choking on his spit… but then he started coughing up… whatever that was.” Nathalie motioned to him. As the last traces of the fluid disappeared from beneath him, the darkness consumed him. His entire body was consumed with a black aura, and slowly inverting his colors. His pristine white shoes revealed themselves to now be a weathered black. 

“D-Dad…?” Adrien hesitantly called, as the black aura disappeared, and Nathalie ran over to him. She puts a hand on his shoulder- and he felt cold. The man slowly rose to his feet.

“Gabriel?” Nathalie gasped in horror as she was shoved away by him. “GABRIEL, NO!” Nathalie cried, as Adrien went to hug her. He was petrified- that wasn’t his dad. 

But Gabriel didn’t reply- the voice that would come from his body would be far deeper, malicious and bellowing. His eyes opened, revealing that they were no longer blue-grey… but black sclera and bright red irises that would glow when he growled. His skin turned an ashy grey, and his clothes became tattered, inverted in color. He rose to his feet. “‘Gabriel’ is gone! No use calling for him! Now you get to live with me!” He cackled evilly. 

“Who are you, and what have you done to my father?!” Adrien yelled. 

“That doesn’t matter. Now step aside, you little punk.” He said, approaching Adrien. Nathalie ran past the figure that once was her husband, and beelined right for her baby. She picked him up and held the infant close as she stayed in the corner. 

“You didn’t answer my question. Who are you, and where is my father?” Adrien repeated. The demon approached him and grabbed Adrien’s neck. The blonde began to struggle in his grasp.

“And I said it doesn’t matter, and to step aside. SO DO IT!” He yelled, as he tossed the boy aside like it was nothing. Adrien went flying, and crashed right into the mannequin, knocking it over. The demon exited the room, gone in a flash of smoke-- who knows where he went. Nathalie looked up, looking to the spot where the demon was just standing- scuff marks on the floor, and the sound of Adrien groaning in pain as he stood up. Where did he go? 

When Gabriel awoke again, he wasn’t in the office, and he was alone. He stood up, and looked around. “Hello? Where am I? Why am I here…” He called out. He took a few paces, before running into an invisible wall. He rubbed his head, and then heaved a sigh. He died- and that was that. He was doomed- well, that is until someone else stepped in through the wall. It was Adeline. She felt a disturbance in her dreams… and so she decided to check it out.

“Papa?” She sounded just as surprised as he was. Gabriel looked, and saw his daughter beside him. 

“Adeline! What are you doing here? Where am I?” He asked her. 

“You’re in my dream!” Adeline giggled- though she realized that something wasn’t right. He was never in her dreams, especially not during her naps. “How did you get here?” 

“I.. I was talking to your mother, and all the sudden I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and started choking. Black stuff came out of my mouth… lots of it… and then I fell asleep.” He summarized- and judging by the look on her face, she knew something he didn’t. 

“You lied!” Adeline yelled. “You weren’t careful!” 

“No,  _ you _ never told me anything! How was I supposed to know.” 

Adeline sighed, “the bad guys got you…” 

“The what?” 

“The bad guys!” 

Finally, Emilie stepped in- someone who was older and wiser. “She means that you got possessed by one of your demons. One of your sins personified, exactly.” 

Gabriel nearly fell over- did his coffee get spiked this morning? There’s no way that could be her. “Emilie? Is that you?” 

“Yes, Gabriel, it is really me…” She sighed, and then smiled. It was nice to see him again… but not like this. “

“What are you doing here…? What happened to me?” 

Emilie refused to explain what she was doing, however, she told him, “You just got possessed. When that mirror got broken, all the demons and sins you did got free. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t catch them all.” She turned to Adeline- and she had to act like she didn’t know her. “And who’s that? Is this your daughter?” Emilie asked. Adeline looked confused- but the look Emilie gave her told her to just go with it. 

Gabriel nodded, and smiled at Adeline, and then to Emilie. “She is…” 

Emilie smiled as well. “She’s lovely, just like her mother.” 

“How do you know--” 

Emilie silenced him. “There’s a lot more that I know, and cannot tell you about. However, I know that your daughter can assist you into getting back to your body…” 

He seemed surprised, though he didn’t have much of a choice in whether he should believe her or not. “Um… well, okay…”

“Alright. Now child, let me explain to you what you must do.” Emilie said, leaning down to whisper into Adeline’s ear. While she did give her a list of what she needed, she also told Adeline that her father can’t know anything about this encounter when he wakes up, as it could lead to negative consequences to himself, and to Adeline, up to not being able to see each other again. Even as young as she was, Adeline understood the seriousness of the matter. She nodded, as Emilie leaned away from her. “Gabriel… I need you to just remain here. You’ll know when you’ll have to fight through to get back.” 

He nods. Sounds easy enough… though he did have one more question. “Emilie, if I may ask… why? Why are you helping me?” 

“Oh Gabriel… it’s because I care…” Emilie replied. He found that pretty hard to believe, considering how she treated him. 

“Are you sure about that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at that. 

“I am sure… Gabriel, I know I didn’t treat you the best when we were together… and I’m sorry. The truth is… it’s not that I didn’t love you…” 

“Then what?” 

“I loved you as a friend. I think I just thought it was forever love. We were so young… You were my first boyfriend. I thought it was a one and done thing. I suppose that being here alone forced me to reflect, and realized that after a while, I loved you more like my friend. And that you felt the same. I know that Adrien made it harder… I felt like we needed to be together, especially after he was born.” 

Gabriel’s eyes widened… and he realized that she was right. He was blinded by love at first- but he was also just naive and young, just like she was. His parents liked the idea of him marrying a young woman who came from money, and Emilie Graham de Vanily fit the bill. When he found her, his parents were thrilled, and encouraged him to make moves on her, and marry her. He supposed that he didn’t take time to let himself explore himself. He had contemplated whether he made the right choice in marrying Emilie, but then shortly after they got married, she found out she was pregnant. He felt like he had no choice but to stay with her now, regardless of how he felt. “You’re… right. That’s exactly how I felt.” 

“I know. I should have said something. Adrien suffered as a result of us not being happy. I’m sorry… for everything.” Emilie sighed. She loved her son dearly, and him hurting as a result of her actions made her feel hurt. 

“...I’m not exactly 100% guilt proof in this situation either… so I forgive you.” He said. He suddenly felt a lot less heavy than when he arrived here. 

“I need to leave now. It was nice to see you again.” Emilie said, approaching him. 

“It was nice seeing you as well. Thank you...for telling me that. I feel a lot lighter.” 

“I do too.” Emilie said, as she went to hug him. “You’re a great friend… and an even greater husband to Nathalie.” 

He smiled, and hugged her back. “You’re a great friend, too.” He wished he could have told her that she’d make a great wife to another man… but unfortunately she wouldn’t have the chance. Emilie stepped away from him. Adeline smiled as Emilie waved goodbye to them both, and faded away. Adeline knew it was her time to go as well… because the sooner she starts the purification and exorcism process, the easier it will be. 

“I gotta go bye-bye.” Adeline said, as she walks towards the invisible wall. Gabriel frowned a little- he was back to being alone here again, but he understood that she needed to go and do whatever it is she needed to do to help him. He didn’t understand how on Earth a toddler could make a difference in this situation… but Emilie said to trust her. Seeing as there were no other ideas on how to get him out of here… What did he have to lose? He nodded.

“I know. I’ll see you again soon.” Gabriel said to her. Adeline exited, leaving Gabriel alone once more. He sat down again, but when he looked down, he freaked out. He saw Nathalie and Adrien in real time below. Adrien and Nathalie were distraught, trying to look after where his body had gone. He tried to tell them that it was okay, and he was okay… but they couldn’t hear him at all. He looked away from the image- the sight of his child and wife upset and him not being able to help only made him feel more alone and useless. He just hoped that this would all be over soon- because he wasn’t sure if he could take the crippling loneliness much longer-- the prospect of him waking up to be a changed man furthered his anxiety. He couldn’t wait for Adrien, Nathalie, Adeline and Solomon to hear about what had happened to him… though it wouldn’t be him recounting the tale. 


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adeline did it-- with an assist from some heroes, of course...

Adeline woke up from her nap prematurely. Time was of the essence… and she needed to get those materials. The Bible, to cast the spell, an object that belongs to Gabriel, to absorb the negative energy and to help aid in cleansing, and the crucifix, for purifying. First, she needed that Bible- it was the only one she knew of for a fact she could obtain. Emilie had alluded to the spell being hidden in the book, but of course, she didn’t say which one- and that she’d know the right words when she finds the book. Adeline was very confused on what she meant- she couldn’t read just yet, though she just had faith in Emilie. She wondered if her father would remember anything he had seen. Older people don’t remember their dreams very well. She'd ask Adrien what he dreamed about, and oftentimes, he’d tell her he couldn’t remember. Dreams were a peculiar thing. All of hers felt so real and she’d remember them in great detail. She had gotten out of bed, and ran to Adrien’s room. She knew she still had the one that he had received as a little boy... hopefully he’d let her use it.

As she opened the door to Adrien’s room, she noticed that he was missing, but assumed she was downstairs. It was surprising she had slept through the commotion downstairs in the atelier. Now, where was she going to find that Bible? She ran to the spiral stairs of the loft, and crawled on her hands and knees up to the loft. Why did he have so many freaking books?! Did Adrien even read all of these? That didn’t matter now. She began pulling book after book off his shelf, trying to look for the navy blue colored book, with a gold cross embossed on the cover. She hadn’t even realized that Adrien had rushed upstairs. 

“Adeline, what are you doing?!” He panicked- he had to protect her, nevermind the fact that she was tearing his bookshelves apart. That didn’t matter.

“I need your book.” She replied, as she tossed aside a large encyclopedia with a bit of a struggle. 

“Which one?” 

“Solly’s book. Solly’s story.” 

It took him a moment… she had to have been referring to the Bible, which he had told her the story of King Solomon. “Oh… you mean my Bible, right? You can borrow it… but will you be careful with it? It means a lot to me.” 

Adeline nodded. “I’ll be careful… promise.” 

“Alright… hold on, I’ll get it for you.” Adrien replied, as he scaled the loft staircase to join her. He steps over her, heading down to the far end of the bookshelf, and to one of the higher shelves. He pulled the book, even with the ribbon bookmark still neatly tucked into the book- not at the story of King Solomon, but in a random place where he had tucked the red ribbon, just to keep it out of the way. He smiled, and handed his little sister the book. “Here you are.” 

“Thank you.” Adeline smiled, before taking the book delicately from him, and holding it closely to her. 

“You’re welcome… why did you need it?” 

“No time. Tell later.” She broke the hug, before waving goodbye at him. “Bye bye, Adri.” She replied, as she dashed out of his room. What was that next thing she needed? Oh, right… something small and that was a personal object of his. She thought about one of his ascots- he had several of them… she was sure he wouldn’t mind one. She entered her parents’ room, and walked into the closet, which the door was conveniently left ajar. She had begun to rifle through the various drawers and baskets, seeing so many clothing items that she could have gone without. Finally, Adeline had found the collection of Gabriel’s ascots. She needed one… but he had so many, and as far as she could tell, they were all the same style- striped, white and some other color. She swore he had the whole rainbow in this drawer, but he must particularly be drawn to his normal red and white one, since she saw multiples of that particular combination… so she grabbed one. He wouldn’t miss it.. Okay, now what was next? Right, a cross… or something like it. Where was she going to find that? 

Certainly not in this house, for sure. She’d just have to go elsewhere. Clutching the Bible and ascot to her chest, she made an exit from the master bedroom. Looking around, no one was here- She couldn’t find her mother, her father was… who knows where he went at this point, and Adrien was upstairs, cleaning the mess she had made… so she thought. Well, since they weren’t around to stop her, it just made her plan of walking to nearby Notre Dame that much easier. With a bit of a struggle, she opened the front door, and crept outside. Suddenly, the big wide world was a lot more scary when she was alone. She looked downward. Was everything really this big? She felt scared, especially because the one figure that would come with her was nowhere to be found… in person, and spiritually… but she’d have to do it. Mama and big brother would not let her partake in this venture alone. She looked up from her feet, and that’s when she spotted a familiar figure on the rooftops. She recognized that hairstyle, and red suit from anywhere. It was Ladybug! Adeline was so happy to see her out. Maybe she could help. 

Ladybug was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, in search of a monster that had been terrorizing and scaring the citizens of Paris. Bizarrely enough, when she asked around, people were saying that famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste was running around and being generally rude, terrifying and generally trying to steal things from people. They also said that he was looking… off. Almost as if he had been inverted… what a bizarre villain. Ladybug was wondering who had taken the butterfly miraculous this time, and akumatized him.

From the rooftop of the building adjacent to the Agreste mansion, she spotted Adeline, wandering from the front door, and down the front stairs. She was relieved- she didn’t want to have to cure her again from Miraculous Magic Poisoning. However, she saw that the child was holding a book and her father’s signature ascot…. that wasn’t right. But it seemed like the young girl was waving for her attention. She figured she may as well see what’s going on- it seemed like an urgent matter. Ladybug hooked her yoyo across the way, and swung across the street and over the walls surrounding the mansion. Adeline was so happy- she ran over to her and hugged her. 

“Oh Ladybug, thank you!” 

“Of course… what’s wrong?”

“Can you take me there?” She asked, pointing at Notre Dame in the distance.

Ladybug was more than confused. What possibly could Notre Dame have to interest a toddler? “I’m… kind of busy. There’s a monster running around, and I need to catch him.” 

“Ladybug, that’s my Papa! Oh please, don’t hurt him…” Adeline pleaded. Ladybug looked at the young girl with sympathy. She couldn’t break her heart. She promised, “Don’t worry… I’ll be sure he’s unharmed, okay?” 

Adeline smiled, and nodded. Ladybug had noticed that the young girl was clutching a book, and one of Gabriel’s ascots close, and had wondered why. Perhaps she thought maybe it was just for her comfort... 

“Before I go…” Ladybug took a step back, and tossed her yo yo into the air. “Lucky charm!” She called. The yoyo spun, and from it came a red and black spotted crucifix. Out of all the lucky charms she had, this one, by far was the most out there. What use would this be to her? 

Adeline’s eyes widened. She knew, that’s what she was looking for. “I need that!” She claimed, much to Ladybug’s skepticism. 

“How are you going to use it?” 

“I learned a trick… Please, can I have it?” Adeline pleaded further. Ladybug looked at the lucky charm, and then to Adeline- her vision indicated that to take down the monster… Adeline, the book she was holding and the ascot on top of it were needed, as Adeline kept expanding on her desperate plea. The hero trusted her, and nodded silently. The toddler was relieved- and Ladybug just gained a few more awesome points. 

“How about you come with me? I’m going to need your help.” Ladybug asked, with a smile. Adeline was starstruck- more than happy to help a superhero! It was pretty much any little kid’s dream to help their favorite hero, and here she was, about to do that. She grinned, as Ladybug handed her the lucky charm, and then scooped up the child with one arm, yo-yo ready in the other. “Hold on… we’re going for a ride.” She said. Adeline held on tightly to the three objects in her hands, and securely held onto Ladybug, as the hero leapt upwards, grappling back to where she came from with her yo yo. Now, if she was a demon… where would she be? That was lost on her. She’d just have to look high and low… and hopefully have Chat Noir join her. And of course, just as she was thinking of him… 

“Hello m’lady.” He greeted her and joined her by her side, receiving a groan from Ladybug. 

“Chat, not now… there’s a monster out there… we have to catch him.” 

“But that monster is--” 

“I know… And we aren’t going to hurt him. I already promised her.” She referenced Adeline, who smiled at Chat Noir. 

“Chat!” Adeline smiled at him, as the three of them were on the move again. He smiled back at her, but nervous that she was even out here. This could be far too dangerous for her… and how was she going to help? The heroes surveyed the area- but they heard a low, demonic snarl from behind them. The monster they were after leaped up from the ground, and onto the roof- surprisingly more agile than he gives off. 

“Aww, look at what we have here. An insect, a pathetic kitten, and a little girl. How adorable. You think you can stop me?” He taunted them. Chat Noir instantly had his weapon, taking a leap towards the demon, who blinked behind them. Chat landed on the ground with a hearty thud. “Nice try, kitty cat… but you have to try harder than that.” With a cackle, the demon jumps down, and begins to travel on foot, running towards the Eiffel Tower. 

“For someone who has the body of a scrawny business man, he sure is fast and strong…” Chat replied. Ladybug ignored him, as she began to chase the demon, and Chat followed behind her. They were fast, but the demon was faster. 

“This is ridiculous! We can’t catch him on foot.” Ladybug said, occasionally glancing down at Adeline, who was still clinging on, but enjoying herself. She felt like a real superhero! They were getting close to the Eiffel Tower, there was a sight that was truly phenomenal. An angelic figure appeared in Champ de Mars. 

“Looks like we don’t have to worry. The angels are looking over us, m’lady.” Chat smiled. They stopped, and watched as the demon froze in fear. It was in his nature to be terrified of such angelic beauty- long flowing hair, glinting gold halo, pure white robes… but it had no distinguishable face. He tried to run, but the faceless angel zapped the demon’s feet- and he could move no farther. He fell face down into the grass. Ladybug tossed her yoyo, and it wrapped around the demon’s wrists. She pulled it tight, and the demon hissed. To finish it off, Chat Noir sat on his back.

Ladybug put Adeline down on the ground. “Now’s your time to shine. You can do it.” Ladybug encouraged her. With the crucifix and ascot in one hand, Bible in the other. Emilie looked around, before making her presence known to Adeline. Emilie gives the toddler the go ahead, to conduct the spell. Adeline opened the book, right to where Adrien had tucked the ribbon bookmark in. Her fingers ran over the lines of the text quickly, and once she had gotten about halfway down the second page, she felt her fingertips tingling. Many little electrical shocks went through her fingers and she looked at Emilie. This had to be the correct spell. Emilie had looked over, and nodded. 

“Okay, repeat after me… _Gabriel Agreste,_ _you are the light of the world. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. They put it on a stand, and let it give light to the entire house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven._ ” 

To the best of her ability, Adeline looked up from the book, and repeated the long string of words. Using the lucky charm crucifix, she placed it to his forehead. It began to glow, and so did the host body for the demon. Now, this next part was all up to Gabriel. The negative energy was beginning to dispel, and his true self was beginning to shine through, but in order for Gabriel to become whole again, he would have to find his way back to the light. He had let himself fall into the darkness… but with a bit of help, he’d find his way back. Soon, the glowing light grew brighter, and more intense. It caused Ladybug and Chat Noir to shield their eyes. Once the intensity faded away, they looked to see that Adeline was gone… leaving the Bible and faint traces of smoke but the demon’s true form was seeming to struggle to stay in. Chat Noir stood up, and Ladybug released her yoyo from around his wrists. The angelic figure that was used for the assist suddenly poofed as well- they should have known. The only trace of it left was a singular feather- unmistakably belonging to the peacock miraculous. 

Ladybug leaned against Chat. “Of course… that angel was a sentimonster.” 

Chat replied, trying to hide his worry. “But it was used to help us… is it really a monster?” 

From a distance, Mayura had leapt from the Eiffel Tower, and approached the two heroes. 

“Of course it wasn’t. It was an abet. But whatever is in his body… is a monster. I just want Gabriel back. That was made from my anguish.” She replied solemnly. Ladybug and Chat Noir could tell that she was in pain… so they decided to hug her. 

Adeline and Emilie found themselves in the darkness, with only the glowing of the crucifix as their guiding light. “Papa?” Adeline called out for him, as they kept walking. 

Gabriel perked up. After Adeline and Emilie had left him… his darkness fully consumed him, and he ended up here. He had cried for a while, unsure of this was how he’d meet his demise. He felt hopeless, that is, until he saw the faint light, and the sound of his daughter. “A-adeline? What are you doing here? Is this another dream?” He asked, turning so he was now facing her. 

“No, Papa… I here to help.” Adeline explained. A piece of paper manifested itself from thin air, slowly drifting down. 

“Okay…” He sounded hesitant, as the piece of newly-manifested paper was shoved at him, by Emilie. 

Emilie instructed him, “Read it.” 

Gabriel’s eyes scanned the paper… was his eyes playing tricks on him. “But there’s nothing on here…” 

She snapped her fingers, and the words began to fade onto the page. He was more weirded out than anything. “Now read it.” 

He began to read the words on the page- The Beatitudes. As he was reading, Adeline held up the ascot over her head. The darkness was beginning to subside, and attracting itself into the silk material. It was turning black, as he kept reading the list. Once he had finished, the darkness had cleared away, now being absorbed into the ascot. Emilie took the accessory away from Adeline, and in her hand, the sound of hissing, and growling could be heard as the fabric was turned into purified angel dust. The demon and darkness was gone. The paper he read from disintegrated in his hands. 

“Papa, come on… we go.” Adeline grabbed his hand, with a smile. She still had the cross in her hand. Gabriel nodded, as he held his daughter’s hand. He turned to Emilie. 

He smiled gently. “Thank you, Emilie. I’m grateful for what you’ve done today…” 

“Of course, Gabriel. Be safe now… until we meet again.” 

He and Adeline began to walk away from her. For Adeline, however, this goodbye was only for a few hours. She looked back, and waved goodbye to Emilie, as the angel vanished. Gabriel and Adeline walked to the light. The last thing he could remember was his vision going white, and then fading out to black. 

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Mayura watched, as Gabriel was finally back to normal, and Adeline had appeared as well, seemingly unconscious, but still clutching the crucifix in her hand. She was sprawled out against her father, but slowly starting to stir. The heroes slowly approached them, trying to rouse them. Adeline was the first to wake up, slowly rubbing her eyes as she looked to Gabriel- down for the count at the moment, but back to himself. He was alive, warm, and very much the Papa that she, Adrien and Solomon loved, and the Gabriel that Nathalie wanted back. Mayura took Gabriel’s hand, and held it close to her. “Come on, Gabriel… wake up…” She sounded worried for him. 

He began to stir… and then his eyes opened. The first thing he was greeted was the sight of the afternoon sun beaming down onto him. He groaned lightly, because by God, everything hurt. His head, his body, his eyes… “What… what happened? Where am I?” He uttered, as he looked up at Mayura. He smiled at her weakly. She pulled him up and gave him a kiss and a hug. He returned her embrace, as he watched Adeline and Ladybug. 

Ladybug knelt down beside Adeline, grabbing the lucky charm with her. “Alright, you know the catchphrase?” 

Adeline nodded, as Ladybug counted down. After 1, they tossed the crucifix into the air, and shouted, “Miraculous Ladybug!” together. The magical ladybugs took care of what they were supposed to, as Adeline hugged her dad. She had noticed the blue woman kissing her daddy- and mama wouldn’t be too happy about that. She just decided to keep her mouth shut about it. She was just happy to see him, even if he was still looking and feeling pretty rough. Mayura decided to carry Gabriel, and Chat Noir had scooped up the young girl, who seemed pretty beat herself after such an ordeal. Adeline saw the brooch pinned to Mayura’s chest. She knew just what that was! She was so close to meeting Duusu for herself, however, that could wait for now.. Adeline yawned, as she fell asleep in Chat Noir’s arms. The heroes had no idea where she had gone, but she did it. She saved Gabriel Agreste, and certainly blew all expectations of her they had out of the water. 

After getting the tired father and daughter back home, Chat Noir brought Adeline up to her bedroom, and Mayura put Gabriel in the master bedroom for now. Once the three of them reunited in the foyer, they all dropped transformation. The two teenagers rushed and hugged Nathalie tightly. 

Marinette said with much gratefulness, “Thank you, Mrs. Agreste. You really helped us.” 

“It was nothing… really. I just knew I needed to help.” Nathalie replied, being modest about her whole reformed appearance. 

“And you did amazing… but maybe we should go check up on Father.” Adrien commented. The women nodded. Nathalie even went to fetch him a glass of water. Once she had returned, they headed upstairs and into the master bedroom. Nathalie had placed the glass of water on the nightstand beside him. After about an hour or so of him just sleeping it off, he awoke again. He was still in pain, but he at least had energy back. He was soon hugged by his wife, and son, as Marinette smiled at them. 

“Gabriel… how are you feeling?” Nathalie then asks. 

“Well, I’m mostly fine… just have a headache and my entire body feels sore…” He responded earnestly. 

“What happened to you when you were… gone?” Adrien asked. 

It gave Gabriel a moment to think-- what happened to him? He actually couldn’t remember. He remembered two figures there- a young girl, and a grown woman. He was sure that Adeline was there… but he couldn’t place his finger on the woman that was there helping her. He remembered he talked to her, and got a very good look at her face… but when he tried to think about it, all he could see was a faceless figure. However, she did have blonde hair, and had the most pristine white robes and wings he ever did see. He looked to Adrien. “Son… I’m not entirely sure. I’m pretty sure that Adeline was there… but there was another woman there with us.” 

“Really? Well, what did she look like?” Marinette pressed him. 

Gabriel put his hands to his head-- wincing a bit in pain as the thinking was starting to hurt his head. “I… I don’t remember. I tried to remember her face, but I can’t recall any particular facial features. She was faceless. All I know is that she had blonde hair, and had a dress that was the prettiest, most pristine shade of white. Not even bleach could get a garment that white.” He recounted. 

Nathalie, Marinette and Adrien all began to tell him what they saw- each one of them offering a unique and different perspective on what they saw, but they all meshed together to form an intriguing narrative. It sounded like he was enough of a spectacle for today, and possibly for a lifetime. He reached for the glass of water, and took a few sips, before putting the glass back down again. They asked him if he’d like more rest, and he nodded. Nathalie and Adrien let him go, and they and Marinette left the bedroom. They went to go check up on the youngest member of the Agreste house, who presumably slept through the entire ordeal peacefully while under the care of the Gorilla.

As the bedroom door shut behind them, Gabriel sunk back into the bed, and closed his eyes. He could use more sleep, so he was trying to catch up. It was going to drive him absolutely insane to know that a woman had helped save his life, and he couldn’t remember a damn thing, aside from her hair color and the color of her dress. He couldn’t even remember the conversations she had with her! However, if his suspicion was right… Adeline would probably remember more than he did, as she was younger and had a brilliantly active imagination. As his eyelids slowly grew heavier, his racing thoughts slowed to a crawl, and he dozed back off. He’d just have to ask Adeline when he woke up again… he just wanted to thank that woman one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Beautitudes that Gabriel read aloud are here as followed. (Matthew 5:3-12) 
> 
> 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
> 
> 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
> 
> 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
> 
> 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
> 
> 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
> 
> 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
> 
> 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
> 
> 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a surprise caller.

News of what happened to Gabriel Agreste spread far and wide- out of Paris, out of France, heck, even out of Europe as a whole. Apparently his sales were going up as a whole result of this, but also more and more people were showing up for answers. Gabriel was still not feeling one hundred percent in the week following the possession and exorcism, so he kept a low profile. He was still working of course, but doing less strenuous and stressful activities- mainly designing and sewing. Those two were therapeutic for him, especially when he often complained about feeling like he had been run over by a tractor-trailer. Nathalie took on the business aspect and interacted with the people, mainly... nothing more than her usual job, but Gabriel found himself more comfortable locked away in his sewing room while he was still trying to fully recover. He was feeling more productive in terms of his creativity anyway-- he was sewing lots of his normal clothing designs as he had planned, but also managed to make up an entire line for kids as well, a huge ordeal for the Gabriel brand. He didn’t think he’d ever design kids clothes, especially taking inspiration from his elder kids’ interests. 

While he was working on sewing upstairs, Nathalie sat downstairs at her desk as usual. She was juggling caring for a newborn, while also handling the normal business tasks she had, not that she minded. It kept her busy, which she liked. In an unusual turn of events, the office phone rang. She checked the caller ID- and it was a number that she didn’t recognize. It was an out of country number, originating from the Philadelphia area of the United States. That was odd- she couldn’t recall any client or other person with that number. Regardless, she answered the phone. “Thank you for calling Gabriel Brand Headquarters, this is Nathalie speaking.” She greeted the caller, while taking a sip of her coffee. 

“Um, hello Nathalie… it’s me… do you remember me?” The voice on the other end of the phone spoke. Nathalie almost choked on her beverage. That voice… sounded completely different than she recalled.

“...Raphaël? Is that you?” She asked. She wondered why he was calling this line instead of Gabriel’s phone. He sounded far less sickly than the last time she had heard him. 

“Yes, you remember me! Oh thank god… How are you, dear?” 

“I’m fine, thank you… how are you?” 

“I’m great… better than ever, actually. Listen, can I talk to mon petit frère? I heard about what happened to him… I want to make sure he’s okay.” Raphaël replied simply. 

Nathalie bit on her lower lip. She wasn’t sure why Gabriel had stopped talking to his brother… but it had to be for some reason. “Oh… actually, he’s busy in a meeting, and he can’t talk right now. I’ll let him know that you called though… alright?” She began to take down the phone number he was calling from on a piece of scrap paper. 

“Oh, I understand. Well, thank you, Nathalie. I appreciate it. Hopefully I’ll hear from him.” 

“Don’t worry, Raphaël, I’ll be sure he calls you back. Promise.” 

After they exchanged goodbyes, Nathalie sat at her desk, pondering on how she was going to break the news to her husband, about his brother wanting to talk to him again. More importantly, how she was going to get him to talk to him. She knew that they weren’t on the best of terms ever, really. They fought a lot growing up, were never super close as far as she could remember from when they were younger. He moved to America quite a few years ago, but then the older Agreste hit a rough patch in life. She didn’t know exactly what happened to him, but Gabriel had enough, and hadn’t talked to him. There was a lot of catching up they’d have to do… and possibly explaining. Nathalie looked at Solomon, who was beginning to stir from his nap. 

As she picked up the infant, Nathalie smiled down at him, holding him close. “Solomon… Do you think Papa is going to be happy when I tell him who called?” The infant simply grunted, squirming and kicking his legs a little as he was waking up. Nathalie sighed. “I don’t think he will be, either.” Nevertheless, she stood up, and kissed his forehead gently, his big, grey eyes looking up at her as he was contentedly sucking on his pacifier. With Solomon in her arms, Nathalie took the piece of scrap paper headed up the stairs to Gabriel’s sewing room. Once she got there, she knocked gently. 

“Come in.” He said, as Nathalie opened the door. She stepped in. 

“How are you feeling, mon amour?” 

“Better. I still feel sore, but mostly better.” 

“You know, you got an important phone call, that I suggest you return soon.” 

Gabriel turned around from his chair. “Who?” 

Nathalie frowned a little. “...It was your brother.” 

Gabriel had dropped his needle and the panel of the dress he was working on. “No. I’m not calling him back. Not after what happened on the last phone call.” 

She was afraid of this reaction. “Come on, Gabriel… that was years ago. I talked to him, and he sounds much better. I think he truly made changes in his life.” 

“Doubt it… that bastard took my money and used it to fuel his drug addiction. I hate him.” 

“I know, Gabriel, and I know you were hurt… but he really sounds better. Just give him a chance, please?” 

Gabriel relented. He knew that she’d just keep begging him until he gave in anyway. The last time he talked to him was when Emilie was still alive. Maybe after all those years, he truly did change. He heaved a big sigh, “Fine, I’ll call him back right now. But I want you here with me.” 

“Of course.” Nathalie replied. She pulled up a stool next to him, and sat down. She handed Gabriel the piece of paper. He tentatively pulled out his cellphone, and dialed in the numbers on the paper before him, and pressed the call button. As the dial tone droned in his ear, he decided to put the phone on speaker, and set it down on the table 

“Hello?” Raphaël answered, a hopeful tone in his voice . Gabriel was surprised- this sounded like the brother he remembered fondly. 

“Hello Raphaël… It’s uh… Gabriel.” 

The older Agreste was overjoyed to be talking to his little brother again. He started by checking in- Gabriel’s possession apparently traveled across the pond, much to the horror of Gabriel. Raphaël then proceeded with a very long apology, which seems to have been written out, about what he had done. How he was cruel to him, betrayed his trust, and used his money to fuel his bad habit. It turns out that when he hit rock bottom, after Gabriel told him off, he really turned his life around. He got a good job, reunited with his ex-wife and eldest daughter, and they even had two more kids after reuniting. Gabriel was glad he had given his brother another chance… because he couldn’t be prouder. Raphaël asked about Emilie and if she had gotten any better, and both Gabriel and Nathalie flinched. 

“Uh… well, Emilie passed away quite a few years ago, actually. She wasn’t doing too well the last we spoke. After what I would call a… very rough year, Nathalie fell pregnant with my daughter…” 

“Whoa, really? Why didn’t she tell me?” 

“Well, mon frère, you called the work line… Marital status doesn’t really matter there. Anyway, after she was born, Nathalie and I got married. We had another baby a few months ago, another boy.” 

“Well congratulations! That sounds exciting. I’d love to meet them sometime. I want to see my first nephew too.” Raphaël said. 

Gabriel smiled. “I’m sure they’d love to meet you too. Adrien’s currently not home, though… so perhaps we could have a big video chat once everyone’s here.” 

“A great idea. Camilla’s at school currently, and I’m sure she’d love to see her cousin, and meet her new ones, too.” 

“I’m sure Adrien would feel the same way. I should probably get back to work… and you too, mon frère.” 

“Yes, yes, absolutely. Talk to you late, Gabe. It’s so good to talk to you again.” 

“You as well, Raphaël… Good bye.” And he hung up the phone. It seemed like his mood was much better now. Nathalie smiled.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

“No… not at all. That was actually nice. I missed him… and I’m glad he’s doing well.” 

“I know you did.” Nathalie replied, and kissed Gabriel on the lips gently as she stood up. “I’m going to change the baby, then head back downstairs now. I’ll be back up later with a snack and some water for you.” He nodded in response, as he watched her leave. Gabriel resumed his sewing, now finding himself humming a familiar tune- one his brother would hum a lot when they were younger. 

Adeline was sitting outside the door, overhearing her father’s lovely humming, but also his phone conversation. She sat with her back to the wall, and her knees to her chest as she was curious about who her father was talking to. Deciding she had enough of listening in on her father, she retreated back to her room. She has built herself a little thinking corner, out of blankets, pillows, and surrounded by her pony pals-- a place where she could talk to herself, and Emilie, and Alaire and Elaine as well. Or, she could talk to her ponies, if she liked. She flopped back, staring up at the ceiling as she wrapped her arms around all her ponies. Emilie noticed this, and figured that perhaps the toddler would like to talk. 

“What’s the matter, little one?” Emilie asked, hovering above the ground. 

Adeline’s gaze went upward and asked, “Who was Papa talking to?”

“His brother.” 

“Papa has a brother?” 

“Yes…” Before Adeline could even ask her why, Emilie began, “and I’m sorry he never told you… but your uncle and your father haven’t exactly had the best relationship…” 

“What you mean?” 

Emilie had to try and find an explanation in a three year old appropriate way. She simply explained, “Sometimes, people just don’t get along. Your uncle did some really, really bad things, and your father wasn’t happy about it. But he pulled himself together… and I’m glad your father’s giving him a chance. You’ll get to meet him later.” 

Adeline smiled, and motioned for Emilie to play with her. Of course, she happily obliged, as she happily set her feet on the ground. Adeline grabbed a toy sword from her toy chest, as Emilie crafted a fake one herself with her magic. They pretended to joust, Adeline giggling as she was burning off her energy. She had seen Adrien fencing, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever- he was like a knight when he competed, and she wanted to be like that too. They sparred like this for at least 20 minutes- until the child grew exhausted. It was getting close to her nap time, and pretending to be a fencing star like her big brother certainly depleted her energy. Once she had her fun, she put her sword down, and simply crawled into bed, not even bothering to get under her blankets. 

She was awoken two hours later by Gabriel, who she found to be gently shaking her and at her bedside. He smiled at her, and she simply rubbed her eyes and blinked. “How was your nap, ma princesse?” 

“Good…” She replied, yawning as she sat up. 

“Let’s brush out your hair… we’re meeting someone very special soon.” He explains to her as he helped her out of bed. He was still in a bit of pain as he pulled himself to his feet. She grabbed his hand, as he took her to the bathroom. He grabbed a hairbrush, and began to brush out the tangles. She had to pretend to play dumb, asking him who. He explained all about his brother to her, and she intently listened. She nodded, now looking forward to meeting him. She sat patiently as he grabbed a yellow hair elastic from a drawer.

Once he had finished brushing out her hair, he pulled her hair into a half ponytail, securing it with the elastic. He grabbed her hand, and he escorted her out of her room, and into another one of Gabriel’s offices- one that she personally hadn’t been in before. It was smaller than the fabric and sewing room. Nathalie, Solomon and Adrien were already there. She ran over to give them all a hug, and then kissed Solomon on the cheek gently. Gabriel sits in front of the computer, and Adeline sits on his lap. He looks at Nathalie. 

“Alright… here goes nothing….” Gabriel said, as he pulls up the video chatting application. After testing the settings, he finally placed his call through to his brother. After a few rings, he picks up. Gabriel and Raphaël greeted each other, and Adrien excitedly greeted his uncle. Soon joining in frame on the other end was a teenage girl, about Adrien’s age, with tannish skin, dark brown hair, but bright blue eyes. She immediately knew what was going on, and she waved at Gabriel. 

“Hi Uncle Gabriel, hi Adrien!” She greeted them. She was looking for Aunt Emilie too, but then remembered what her dad had told her beforehand, before greeting Nathalie “Hello Miss Nathalie!” 

“Hey Camilla!” Adrien said back, waving back at her. “Long time no talk! I hope you’re doing well.” 

“Yeah, I am, thanks! HEY MOM! Uncle Gabriel and cousin Adrien are on! Come and say hi!” She said excitedly. Soon, a woman of Hispanic descent entered the frame. She was holding a baby boy, slightly older than Solomon, and she took a seat beside Raphaël . Following her was another young girl, who was about Adeline’s age- and she had a similar complexion to her big sister, but with lighter hair tied into space buns, and darker eyes. The young girl asked Raphaël if she could sit on her lap, and he nodded. Soon, she was seated on her Papa’s lap, just like Adeline. 

The woman finally spoke up, “Gabriel! You’re looking well. Hello Nathalie.” She greeted them, as she sat the baby on her lap. 

“Good to see you again, Alicia.” Nathalie said pleasantly. 

“And who are my new niece and nephew over there?” Raphaël asked. 

Gabriel looked at Adeline and said, “This is Adeline… can you say hello to uncle Raphaël, ma princesse?” He asked. She didn’t say anything, however, she did wave shyly, as she quickly turned away for a moment. “You must excuse her. She’s a bit shy. And the little boy over there is Solomon…” Nathalie smiled a bit, turning him towards the camera- he had his eyes wide open as he looked towards the screen and the camera. Gabriel felt a strong sense of pride, hearing his nieces, brother, and sister in law gushing about his kids, and his wife. 

“It’s so nice to meet you two. Okay, so this little girl is Lucía, and the little boy over there is Damien.” Lucía waved, and baby Damien was blankly staring at the screen. As Adeline saw her cousins through the screen, she felt herself warming up to them. She really liked that Ladybug shirt that Lucía was wearing. She hoped to tell her that she’s actually met Ladybug in real life, and even got to help her. The men were talking about their lives and what they had missed- their kids’ ages, new jobs, and any other life events. Raphaël had asked Gabriel about his possession- the story that had reached across the pond all the way to him in Philadelphia Gabriel began to explain about what had happened to him- or, what he could remember. Most of his time under possession was completely gone from his memory. He only remembered seeing Adeline briefly, and an angel- but the figure didn’t have a face… 

The Agrestes on the other end all seemed captivated by his tale. Adeline even briefly interrupted to add her own insight, and somehow, that made it even more interesting, even if her toddler speak didn’t make complete sense sometimes. Adeline had only wished she was able to say more. However, she knew that no one would believe her at this point. She’s tried several times, but most of the time she gets glossed over because of her age, and she’s gotten used to it. Though, she observantly studied the backdrop behind her cousins, uncle and aunt. The room they were in looked much smaller than she was used to, but still very nicely decorated. As the men were droning on about something… about how the middle kids were about to start preschool. Adeline perked up, but began to fiddle with the buttons on Gabriel’s sleeve to keep herself occupied. She wasn’t aware that she’d be going to school soon… but Adrien goes and he seems to like it… so it couldn’t be that bad. 

Then, they were moving on to talking about plans before the end of the summer. Any big vacations planned for either side? Nope. They planned on staying close to home… Raphaël had mentioned something about going to the Jersey Shore for a weekend, for one last fun trip. The girls loved the beach, and they’d love to go one last time and spend some time there. Gabriel agreed- that sounded like a lot of fun, and perfect for them. Then, Raphaël asked if they wanted to come and join them, or just come out to see them for the week and spend the week in the City of Brotherly Love. Gabriel was a bit surprised by the offer, and he looked to Nathalie. She was checking their schedules. There was only one meeting, one that she could just reschedule until they came back, so they were on. Camilla, Lucía, and Adrien were very excited, cheering as they hugged their respective father figures. Adeline simply smiled, and also hugged her dad. It was starting to get close to dinner time, so it was probably time to end the call. They all said their goodbyes as they disconnected. 

“Father, I can’t believe we’re going on vacation! We haven’t taken a family vacation in… well, a really long time.” Adrien said, as he looked at his father. 

“Well, I figured that we could have one last fun thing, before Adeline starts preschool. Plus, it’s been well over fifteen years since I last saw your uncle in person. It would be good to see him again.” Gabriel simply replied, and Nathalie agreed. 

“I can’t wait to see Camilla in person. She seems so cool. Adeline, I bet you’re excited to have your first friend that’s your age. Plus, she’s related to you, which is even cooler.” Adrien said as he pats his sister’s head. 

Adeline smiled, and nodded. “Do you think Lucía would want to play with me?” 

“Of course, sweetie.” Nathalie responds with a soft smile. “I’m sure she’d love to play with you.” 

And that’s all she needed to hear. Adeline got down off Gabriel’s lap, as they all decided to return to their respective activities before dinner. As Adeline looked at her toys, began to ponder- how many of these could she fit in her suitcase and bring with her? She wanted to make sure she had enough, and hoped that Emilie would tag along for the journey. She also hoped she could share Emilie with her cousins. The only question she was… how?


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family reunion occurs.

Adeline had been so busy thinking about how she can bring Emilie with her to Philadelphia, that she forgot two things- to pack what toys she wanted, and to ask Emilie if it was even possible for her to join. Why wouldn’t she be able to? I mean, the angel can make her herself present at any point in Paris… why not across the Atlantic ocean as well? They were due to leave really early the next morning, and Adeline was told to gather some toys she wanted to bring, doing some last minute packing before bed. She was currently sitting on her floor, pondering her toy choices. She wanted to show cousin  Lúcia all of her ponies, but she couldn’t possibly bring her entire collection with her- her mama said it wasn’t necessary, and to only pick a few. Plus, she had to make room for her brand new tablet her Papa gifted her for her birthday. She also got a new My Little Pony backpack, meant for preschool but they were going to take it for a test run on the plane. Her tablet was already in the backpack, as well as her Twilight Sparkle doll. As she was contemplating the next pony to add to her bag, Emilie soon sat beside her. “Adeline, this is your first big airplane trip… are you excited?” She asked. 

She nodded. “But what toys do I bring?” She turned her head to look at Emilie, and then back to her toys. 

Emilie chuckled, finding the eternal struggle of a toddler to be amusing. “I bet Miss Pinkie and Miss Fluttershy would love to join you on your trip.” 

After thinking it over, Adeline agreed, and packed Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in her backpack. She looked at her backpack, with all six of the main characters on it, and then back to her toys. She felt guilty about leaving the other three behind, so she began to stuff them into her backpack as well. And with that, she was ready to go. Nathalie had poked her head into the room, to see her daughter’s backpack all packed and ready to go. 

“Hello, my dear… are you all packed?” Nathalie approached Adeline, and knelt beside her. 

“Yes, maman. I bring all my ponies. And tablet.” 

“Alright… as long as it all fits in your backpack…” Nathalie grabbed the backpack, and zipped up, with little struggle. She slung the bag over her shoulder, and pats her head. “It’s almost bedtime. You need your sleep so that you’re not grumpy meeting your cousins. I’ll be back to tuck you in after I take your backpack downstairs.” She said, as she left the room. Adeline got up, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth before her Mama came back. As Nathalie returned and poked her head into the bathroom, Adeline just finished up brushing her teeth. She put the toothbrush back in its holder, and climbed down from off her stool. Nathalie took the child’s hand, and led her to bed. After a bedtime story, Nathalie leaned down to kiss Adeline on the forehead, before placing the book down and exiting the room. As she turned the lights off and closed the door, Adeline closed her eyes and forced herself to go to sleep… but she couldn’t. She was just so excited- going to a new country, and meeting the first kid her age? Of course her excitement overwhelmed her. After a bit of tossing and turning, Emilie noticed, and came equipped with a tiny jar of shimmery, white powder. She unscrewed the lid, pinched some of the powder, and sprinkled it over Adeline’s face and pillow. The toddler sneezed, but then yawned as she suddenly felt tired. She gripped her baby blanket, as she drifted off to sleep.

The next thing she knew, she was being woken up by her father. It seemed like he was already dressed, but not in his normal suit, and opting for a far more casual look. She blearily sat up in bed, and looked at him. It was still dark, as she observed through her windows. Gabriel smiled as he was rifling through her dresser drawers to pick out a casual, comfy outfit for her. 

“Papa?” Her voice sounded groggy, just as she was.

“Yes, ma princesse?” 

“Can I bring Chaton and my blankie?” 

He nods and hands her the outfit he picked out for her- a My Little Pony t-shirt with matching, comfy shorts- he figured she’d appreciate it. “Of course you can. Now, let’s get you dressed. Mama, Solomon, and Adrien are almost ready.” 

She crawls out of bed, leaving Chaton and the blanket on her bed. Gabriel helped her get dressed, and brush out her hair. He didn’t bother to put it up today. Once she was fully ready, she rushed back to grab Chaton and her blanket. Gabriel smiled, as he picked her up. She immediately rested her head on his shoulder and fell back asleep. She was phasing in and out of sleep through the drive to the airport, and walking through the airport and security. Once they had got to their gate, she was slightly more awake and alert. Her papa and mama looked exhausted, and Adrien was also starting to doze off. Currently she was blankly staring at the ceiling, sitting on her Papa’s lap. She was being a good girl for now, sitting perfectly still. That is, until she saw one of the little airport stores beginning to open up. She saw candy- something she really wanted. She wiggled free off of Gabriel’s lap, and rushed over into the little store. After noticing a certain weight missing, he woke up. He began to panic. 

“Nathalie, Adrien, wake up, Adeline’s gone.” 

“Mmm…” Nathalie was roused from her sleep, “What?” 

“Our daughter is gone. She ran.” He explained, as he pulled himself to his feet and started briskly walking around the area. Nathalie panicked as well, sitting up more and looking around. Adrien got up as well, and used reasonable thinking skills to assume that she probably wanted some candy. He beelined towards the small store, and surveyed the surroundings. As he suspected, he saw Adeline, contemplating her candy choices. 

“Adeline!” Adrien called for her, sounding annoyed as he approached. “Don’t run off like that. Mama and Papa are worried.” 

“I just want candy.” She explained, as she retrieved a bag of gummy bears from the wall. She had her best pouty face as well. Adrien sighed, as he reached for his wallet, and handed the man at the till a 5 euro bill. 

After getting his change back, he picked her up. “Come on, let’s go…” Adrien grumbled, as he scoops her up. Adeline thanked her big brother, kissing him on the cheek gratuitously. By the time he returned with her, it was time for the Agrestes to board the plane. Gabriel had gotten all of them first class seats. Gabriel, Nathalie and Solomon sat in front of Adrien and Adeline. Just before take off, though, Gabriel took a glance behind him, to check in on his older kids- and they were out cold before they went anywhere. He smiled, as he closed his eyes and relaxed as they took off. Adeline and Solomon did exceptionally well- Solomon only cried when he was hungry or needed a diaper change. Adeline was very preoccupied for most of the flight, with all of her movies, games, and snacks. Adrien would be her helper when she needed it. Aside from that, the trip was rather uneventful. There was a layover in New York before boarding another flight. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they had made it to Philadelphia. They unboarded their plane, and retrieved their suitcases. The older kids were excited, for sure- so were the adults, though Nathalie had ran ahead to make sure they didn’t get into trouble. 

As they walked through the airport, Gabriel lagged behind Adrien and Adeline, who were full of energy despite spending approximately 13 hours traveling. However, he suddenly forgot how exhausted it was to travel with little children when he heard his name. 

“Gabe, mon petit frère!” 

Gabriel knew who that was- and by god, he missed his big brother more than he realized. “Rafi!” Gabriel said, voice laced with excitement and exhaustion. The two men met, embracing each other tightly. Gabriel felt tears welling in his eyes. He forgot how incredible it was to be hugged by the older man, who was around his height. 

“Oh, it’s so good to see you again… I missed you so much. I’m so sorry...” Raphaël said, as he pulled himself away just slightly, still holding onto Gabriel. 

“I know you are.” Gabriel replied, watching everyone getting themselves acclimated with one another. Nathalie and Alicia were reintroducing themselves, and introducing the infants to each other. The young boys seemed to be content, for now. Adeline’s nerves seemed to have returned, as she hugged Gabriel’s leg. Lúcia threw herself on Adeline to hug her. Raphaël was slightly embarrassed. 

“Hey now ma belle, what have I told you about doing that to people you just met?” 

Lúcia smiled sheepishly, letting go of Adeline. “Sorry, Daddy… I was excited.” 

“I know you were, but your cousin’s not as outgoing as you are. Give her some time before you do that.” He explained. 

Gabriel coaxed Adeline towards her uncle and cousin, giving her a smile. “You can do it, ma princesse…” Adeline smiled a bit, as she walked closer to them, and gave her uncle a hug first, and then her cousin. “She’s happy to meet you both. Give her sometime, and she’ll warm up fully.” 

Camilla and Adrien grinned as they gave each other a hug. “Adrien, mi primo! I’m so excited to see you!” She said. 

“Yeah, it’s great to see you too, Camilla! Long time, huh?” 

“Totally! Man, I can’t wait to introduce you to my friends. They are going to  _ flip _ .” 

“Oh… I take it they know I’m a model, huh?” Adrien smiled sheepishly. Camilla nodded, as the two of them began to talk. Once they got all the greetings out of the way, they decided it was time to leave, and let the visitors settle in. As they were leaving, Lúcia requested her papa pick her up, which he did. Adeline did the same to Gabriel, who had his hands a bit full. Of course, he ended up with his daughter’s stuff. Raphaël noticed, and he looked to Adeline. 

“How about I get you, Addy?’ He offered. After a small hesitation, Adeline nodded. He reached down to pick up Adeline in his other arm. The toddlers smiled at each other, as they all headed to the train station. The car wasn’t quite large enough to accommodate 10 people, so they'd just have to take public transport. They took the regional rail train, from the airport to Center City. As they exited the platform, and cut through the train station, the family found themselves on Market Street. It was unlike anything Adeline had seen before in her young life- there was something whimsical about the hustle and bustle of a large American city. Sure, it was no New York- but if she was lucky enough, she’d be able to go there one day. She looked around from over her uncle’s shoulder. They crossed the street, and down into another station- but where they could take the trolley. Once they were all settled in, Raphaël became a tour guide- much to the irritation of his wife, kids, and other passengers. At least Adrien, Gabriel, Nathalie, and Adeline were enjoying it. 

As they reached their stop, and struggling with their bags, they began to walk up the block. Gabriel was surprised- everyone in this area lived in houses that were all connected together. They looked like they should be one house, but it was actually two- and were even painted different colors to drive home the point. Adrien and Adeline found this fascinating, but Gabriel found this to be very bizarre. He leaned down to his wife and whispered, “Americans surely don’t know how to paint houses… at least not around here.” 

Nathalie shot him a glare, whispering a retort, “don’t be rude, Gabriel.” 

“Sorry…” He grumbled. The two of them lagged behind the rest of the group still. Finally, they had made it to the Agreste residence. Gabriel was slightly horrified that they were staying in one half of these mis-matched color houses. He looked around… and it wasn’t too bad. A lot smaller than he was used to, but everything was up to date, with great natural lighting. Due to a shortage in bedrooms inside the house for 10, Adrien would be sharing a room with Camilla, Adeline would be with Lúcia, and Gabriel, Nathalie and Solomon in the one guest room. The four older kids headed up the stairs, Camilla and Adrien first helping out their sisters get set up before setting themselves up. In the guest room, there was a large bed, and even a little portable crib set up to the side, for Solomon. 

“We’ll let you get settled in..” Alicia said, as she and her husband walked away to go check on the other kids. Gabriel nodded as he set the suitcase down on the ground and unzipped it. As he was unpacking, Nathalie put the baby down in the crib, and decided to help. Since she was the one who had packed it, it took little time. She was always so well organized. Gabriel had decided he was thirsty, so got up, and tried to look for a call button, to request a glass of water. 

“Gabriel, what are you doing?” 

“Nathalie, where’s the call service button here? I want a glass of water.” 

“...Seriously?” She huffed, sounding annoyed as she facepalmed. “I love you but come on...” 

“What? Does this mean I have to go get it myself?” 

“Yes, it does… And probably from the sink or fridge.” 

His lips puckered, as if he had tried something bitter. “Ah, alright…” 

“You’re going to live. Go get your water.” 

Gabriel sighed, as he exited the bedroom, and went to go get his glass of water. As he navigated his way to the kitchen, he saw his oldest niece getting glasses of water from the dispenser in the refrigerator- two full glasses sitting on the table, and she was currently working on filling a sippy cup and holding another one in her hand. 

“Oh, hello Tío-- sorry, Oncle Gabriel.” Camilla greeted him, not taking her eyes away from the cup in her hand. Once it was filled, she screwed on the cap, and began to fill the second one. 

“Hello Camilla. How have you been?” 

“I’m doing good… college is pretty good so far! It’s only my first semester, but it’s good. I’ve missed you.” She replied, as she screws the lid on the second cup. She sets it on the counter with the other cups, and then goes to hug him. Gabriel wasn’t quite sure what to do- but he eventually returned her hug. 

“I’ve missed you too…”

“... Can I ask you a question, Uncle Gabriel? What happened to Tante Emilie?” 

Out of all the questions he expected from his niece… that was probably the one he least expected. A mixture of emotions came to him, anger, sadness, and frustration. Of course, Camilla was rather young at the time of this, and he supposed that if she was really curious, then he could tell her. He swallowed, “She got sick, and she died.” Camilla had frowned, as she was expecting a better answer. 

“But what kind of sickness?” 

“An illness so rare, that not many people have had it… and it’s not very well researched or documented, either.” He explained, telling her half truths. 

“Well, what’s it called? Maybe my professor can tell me more…” 

He tensed, as his gaze met hers. Her eyes were filled with curiosity, and he felt bad lying, but he was protecting himself and his family- including her. “It… I can’t remember. I’m sorry, Camilla. But would you like me to help you bring those waters upstairs?” 

Camilla knew well he wasn’t telling her the entire truth, but she decided to not press him further. His discomfort was blatant, so she’d ask him again some other time. “Sure.” She replied, as she grabbed the two glasses, and he grabbed the sippy cups, and followed her up the stairs. She motioned to a door to his left, indicating that his niece and daughter were there, awaiting their water cups, but already with a whirlwind of toys scattered around. My Little Ponies, Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls, Peppa Pig… and the list could go on.

“Here you girls are…” He knelt down and gave them their cups. They smiled up at him, and thanked him. He smiled, stood up, and exited the room, to go get himself water, like he originally set out for. They took a sip of water, each of them setting their cups down beside them. Adeline had unpacked all of her pony friends to show off to her cousin- who was equal parts excited and impressed. They exchanged showing off toys. Adeline was slightly jealous that her cousin had so many cool toys- including Ladybug, Chat Noir, and even some heroes she hadn’t seen before, like Rena Rouge and Queen Bee. Lúcia was remarkably shocked when Adeline had mentioned that she had met Ladybug and Chat Noir in person, and even helped the famed heroes. Maybe one day, Lúcia will be that lucky as well, and meet all of her heroes in person as well. She then decided to show off her Peppa Pig playsets, which in her mind, was not nearly as cool as what her cousin had. Adeline was intrigued- she didn’t own any toys like these. The young girls decided to combine their resources to create one dynamite crossover- Ladybug and her crew teaming up with the Mane Six to defeat a rag-tag team of villains consisting of Daddy Pig, Stormy Weather, Lady WiFi and Mommy Pig. It was all fun and games, until Lúcia began to scream in terror. 

“Are you okay?” Adeline asked. Lúcia curled up, pointing up and behind Adeline’s shoulder. She turned around and looked up. Upon seeing who it was, she smiled. It was only Emilie, who had found her way here. “Don’t be scared, this is my friend.” 

Lúcia calmed down, relaxing her curled formation. “Oh… who is she?”

“This is Emilie. She’s my friend.” 

Emilie stepped forward, extending a hand forward. “A pleasure to meet you, little light.” 

Lúcia hesitantly shook her hand, but seemingly relaxed knowing that Emilie wasn’t a threat. The angel sat herself next to the girls, and smiled a little. As the girls and their angel friend were settling in to a new activity, there was the sound of footsteps hastily approaching the room. Camilla and Adrien heard the commotion, and decided to check in. 

“Is everything okay in here?” Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lúcia explained, “Yeah, it’s okay. Adeline showed me her new friend, Emilie!” She had pointed to where Emilie was sitting on the floor. Adrien and Camilla exchanged looks- they couldn’t see anything. 

“Uh, okay…” Camilla hesitated as she took a step back. “Whatever you say, hermanita…” She began to walk back to her room, with Adrien behind her. 

Adrien remarked, “It seems like Adeline’s introduced her imaginary friend to your sister, huh?”

“Mm, I think it’s more than just an ‘imaginary friend’, Adrien.” 

“Let me guess- you also think it’s some creature from the supernatural, right?” 

“Oh, totally.” 

“Then you’d get along with my friend Alya. She thinks the same thing.” 

“Really?! That’s so cool! What if it was Tante Emilie talking to our sisters right now?” 

Adrien flinched a bit. He hadn’t ruled out that possibility. “I… don’t know. Maybe? I mean, I still don’t even know how she died… She got sick, went missing, and then she was just… dead.” He lied, in order to not out his dad as Hawk Moth. 

“And tomorrow, we will. You’re coming to classes with me tomorrow, and we’re going to the library after my classes to do some research.” She said with a mischievous grin. Adrien reluctantly agreed. 

“Yeah, sounds great…” He replied, grinning awkwardly as they headed back to his room. Camilla knew something he didn’t, and he was onto her. He supposed that he’d just have to go along with her to find out.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose colored lenses are no more.

“Adrien, wake up.” Camilla replied, as she stood over her sleeping cousin, set on an air mattress on the floor. His eyes slowly opened, grumbling as he rubbed his eyes. He felt his jet lag setting already and he had just woken up. 

“Camilla… it’s so early…” Adrien complained as he sat up. She sits at the foot of his mattress. 

She turned to look at him. “Okay, it’s not even that early, it’s like 8:30 am… but it’s research day. You’re coming to school with me.” 

“Oh, cool… this should be fun. Guess we should get ready then, huh?” 

She nodded, as she stood up, and walked towards the bathroom door. The two of them began to get ready for the day, taking turns in the bathroom until they were both fully ready for the day. They decided to grab some breakfast, and headed down to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Camilla rifled through the cabinet, looking for something for the two of them to eat. They had hardly noticed that Raphaël was sitting at the table, reading the paper with his cup of coffee. They were both a little surprised to only see him at the table. 

He lowered his newspaper to look over at them, “Good morning Camilla, Good morning, Adrien.” 

Camilla turned to look over at him, “Morning Papa. Adrien’s coming with me to my classes… Do you think Uncle Gabriel will mind?” 

“Hmm… well, I’m not sure. I’ll make sure you two don’t get in trouble by him, though.” He said with a wink. 

“Thank you, Uncle Raphaël. Camilla and I are going to do some--”

She slapped a hand over his mouth. “--thing with my friends after classes. They don’t ever shut up about how cool Adrien is and how fashionable Uncle Gabriel’s line is, after all.” 

“Well, I’m sure you two will have fun. Don’t stay out too late, though…” 

“We won’t, Papa, I promise.” She replied as she retrieved two granola bars from the cabinet for them. “Come on, Adrien, we better go and catch the trolley. I don’t want to be late.” She motioned for him to follow her back up the stairs, so that she can grab her backpack and they can put on their shoes. Confused, he obeyed her. He didn’t even question her why she had shut him up in explaining to their uncle. Perhaps his uncle was just as strange and mildly controlling as his dad, and he’d rather not open that can of worms. Once she had retrieved her backpack, and they had their shoes on, they returned downstairs. 

“Have a good day, you two.” Raphaël replied. 

“We will, Papa… see you later.” Camilla said, as she grabbed Adrien’s arm, and led him out the door. She pulled her wallet out of her bag, and handed him a blue card- a key to ride the trolley. She kept a spare one in her wallet in case one of her friends didn’t have one, or if she lost the one she normally used. They walked to a street corner a few blocks away, and after waiting for a few moments, they boarded. She gave him the full rundown about what was about their game plan. It was only three classes today she had- and for the last class, she would send him off to the library and give him her student ID so he can get it. They would meet on the second floor, where all the reference books and some private study nooks were. It sounded like a plan to him. Once they got to their stop, they got off, and she pulled out a map from her backpack. He took a look around. The campus was small, but felt a lot larger than it actually was, given its layout. There were a few buildings to his right, where he could see the quad, a dorm building, recreational building, and a few academic buildings as well. 

He noticed she was looking at a map of the campus, which concerned him. “Uh… Camilla? Why do you have that?” 

“Oh, so I don’t get lost, obviously.” She peered around, as she grabbed his arm and started dragging him off to the crosswalk“C’mon, we have to cross the street. Griffith Hall is right there.” 

“But don’t you go here? Shouldn’t you know the area pretty well already?” 

“I’m a bit directionally challenged, my bad. I’ll probably be good with finding my way around soon.” He didn’t argue with her, as the two of them crossed the street. After crossing the street, they cut through the staff parking lot, and after swiping her ID card in the reader, they accessed the building through the side door. “Okay… ah, yes, We’re going to Lecture Hall C.” She continued to drag him, up a flight of stairs and through double doors. They walked down the hall, past some offices and the main entrance. Adrien was shocked when he entered the room. It was almost like a movie theater, but intended for learning instead. It was larger than he ever could have expected. They found seats towards the back of the room, and it seems like they were early judging by the lack of people. 

A few minutes later, a group of four girls and two guys enters, and sits in front of them. Immediately, they turned around to talk to them. Camilla was eager to see them, and they were just as excited to see her as well. 

“Guys, this is my cousin, Adrien. Yes,  _ the _ Adrien Agreste…” She replied. 

A girl with shoulder length, wavy, dirty blonde hair and brown hair grinned wide. “Oh wow, it’s such an honor to meet you! I’m Alyssa, and this is Lauren, Isabella, Samantha, Evan and Donald.” 

Adrien smiled warmly, “Nice to meet you guys too.” He replied, to the awestruck group of students. Hopefully he wouldn’t hinder their learning too much… After all, Camilla told him all about how this school was serious business. The lecture began, and even though he didn’t understand much about what was going on, he still found the lecture about atomic bonding in chemical elements to be interesting. Even though some of the other students weren’t paying attention, he certainly was. Honestly, he hardly noticed that time was going by, but after the 50 minutes had gone by, everyone was packing up their things to move along to the next class. As they were all leaving, it seems like a fair amount of the students were making their way in the same direction. The next class was biology-- a subject which Adrien found intriguing in some parts, but dreadfully boring in others. 

Camilla, her friends and himself all walked back towards where their trolley had stopped at, and crossed the street. Along the way, her friends began to ask him several questions about what it was like to be a model, about his siblings and if he had them, and about what his father’s next line may be. He answered as truthfully as he could. They walked under an archway, and towards the right to a building called the McNeil Science and Technology Center. He wondered how they could clean the floor to ceiling windows in the atrium, considering it was a three-storied building. They led him into the large auditorium, and sat him down. The group began to chat, and even posed for selfies to go on Snapchat. Eventually, the lecture started, and as the teacher droned on, Adrien noticed that Camilla had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Ironically enough, he was paying attention to the lesson better than she was. 

As the lecture wound down, Laura reached over and began to shake Camilla. “Cammie… Camilla… WAKE UP!” She said, shaking her friend.

“Aw, damn, I fell asleep…” Camilla yawned, as she sat up, She noticed she had dozed off on Adrien. “Sorry, dude.” 

“It’s okay… remember our plan?” He reminded her. 

She nodded, as she handed over her student ID card to him. Her next class was just across the atrium, so she didn’t need it. “Now, the library is just across the quad… Walk towards the dining hall, then take a left. Walk towards the street, and the front entrance is there.”

“Got it. See you soon.” Adrien replied, as they parted ways. He followed a crowd of students out one of the doors of the lecture hall, and then out of the building. He heeded her instructions, but before he entered, he decided to call up his dad. He stopped to sit on a bench he found, as he got an answer. “Hello Father, how are you doing?” Adrien asked. 

“I’m well, Adrien, thank you… How are you enjoying your time with your cousin?” 

“Oh, it’s great… her campus is really nice so far…” He looked around to take in his surroundings. “What about you?” 

“We’re just out in the city. We’re going around to various stores, and your uncle is showing us around,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “ _ with a bit too much enthusiasm if you ask me _ …”

Adrien laughed a bit. “Oh, that sounds like fun! Did you buy anything fun?” 

“Well, your--” He started, but was cut off. 

“Papa, who’s that?” Adeline asked as she gazed up at him. She was holding his hand. 

“Adrien. Would you like to say hello?” 

“HI ADRIEN!” 

Adrien chuckles. “Hi Adeline.” 

Gabriel continued, “Your sister and cousin got matching outfits… they’re excited.” He mumbled. 

“Sounds great, Father, but… I need to go. Camilla and I will see you when we come back.” Adrien replied, trying to get off the phone. He was itching to explore. Gabriel understood, and let him go. Once their call had concluded, Adrien stood up and resumed his trek to the library. Thankfully, he made it to the library without getting lost. As he walked up the stairs to the door, and looked for the card reader. He spots the card reader on the wall, walks over and swipes it. Unfortunately, he did it wrong, so he swiped the card as he flipped it the right way. The two clicks from the door indicated it was unlocked, and he entered the library. His eyes scanned around- to the left were books and tables for group studying, and to the right were computers, printers and even more books, with a door and elevator along the back wall. He walked through the metal detectors and towards the stairwell. When he reached the second floor, he noticed tables around the perimeter of the room, with bookshelves all in the middle. Eagerly, he started to peruse the countless books on the shelf, slowly walking up and down the aisles. 

Nothing totally jumped out at him, until he reached a section about medical conditions and mysterious diseases. He combed through the book spines, until one in particular stood out. It wasn’t the same color as all the other books, its cover being a darker red in comparison to the brown. He had a feeling that this book would hold all the answers. It couldn’t have been opened often judging by the amount of dust that came off. The symbol on the book looked very familiar, but it also seemed to have some plants, crystals and a mortar and pestle on the cover. He figured it was important, so he decided to flip through the pages. Much to his dismay, the text on the page was in an unfamiliar alphabet. He closed the book and tucked it under his arm. As he kept searching, there was a vibrating coming from his pocket. He pulled it out, and it was Camilla. She must have finished her class early, and she was looking for him. He walked to the end of the aisle and signaled for her to come. She saw and walked over to him. 

Her voice dropped to a whisper, “Did you find anything?”

He nodded, and showed her the book, “But I can’t read it. Can we check this out? I know someone who can help.” 

She nodded. “Yeah? Who?” 

“My girlfriend Marinette can. She’s super smart, pretty, kind--” 

Camilla put a hand over his mouth. “Yeah okay, I get it…” She turned to look, finding another book with a similar red cover. The symbols on the covers matched- it must be a miraculous themed book. However she also pulled out a book about non-miraculous related magical diseases. “Seems like there’s miraculous books in this library. Who would have thought.” 

Adrien removed her hand from his mouth. “You know about the miraculous?” 

“Yeah, I read the Ladyblog. I know a thing or two.” 

“Oh.” Adrien replied, as he blinked. At least Alya knew her stuff. “So… how about we check these books out, and go back home?” Camilla nodded, as she pulled the second book from the shelf. They headed downstairs and checked out the books. They walked through the metal detector, and the student at the library desk passed the books around. Camilla stashed them in her backpack, as they exited the library. They walked towards the street corner, and crossed the street to wait for their ride back. “So, I talked to my dad. I think your dad was giving them a tour?” 

“Oh God… I’m so sorry,” was her only reply. They laughed, and as the trolley pulled to their stop, they boarded and paid their fare. They grabbed seats towards the back, and were brimming with excitement that they found not one, but two miraculous-centric books. It’s a miracle they even found them considering just how rare these things are supposed to be. When it was time to get off at their stop, Camilla nudged him, and as the trolley stopped, they got off. When they arrived, they were immediately greeted by their little sisters. 

“Cousin Adrien, Camilla… can you tell who is who?” Lúcia asked as she and Adeline giggled. They were wearing matching outfits- dresses that were white, but had rainbow silk panels for the skirt, along with new, sparkly silver shoes. 

The teenagers exchanged glances. “Oh no, I can’t tell who is who!” Adrien replied sarcastically. Camilla shrugged. 

“I can’t either… guess we’ll just have to remain confused forever. Now, can you two go play? Adrien and I have to do big kid things” She winked at Adrien. 

“Oh, okay…” Lúcia said, as she looked to Adeline. “Let’s go play, Addy!” The two girls ran off, presumably to continue playing the board game they had started. Their little brothers and parents were not currently in the room. Adrien and Camilla retreated back to her room, and closed the door. Camilla fished the books from her backpack and Adrien started a video call with Marinette on his laptop. Everyone got themselves acquainted, and then they started to go over the book. Marinette was just as impressed as they were about the discovery of not one, but two miraculous-centric books in a random university library. Adrien explained his predicament to Marinette- ever since he found out that Nathalie was Mayura, he had his suspicions that when she was really sick, it had to do with the miraculous. Maybe she couldn’t handle the power of it? But how come both Emilie and Nathalie were sick with the same exact symptoms? He thought his mom was already sick, and the miraculous just made the sickness worse. 

Marinette concurred- especially given how she could recall seeing Mayura in battle- she was always tired during the battle, with Hawk Moth having to come and carry her off more than once. As they flipped through the book, titled “Mysterious and Miraculous Illnesses Caused by the Miraculous (Cures Included)”, Marinette told them to stop. On the pages, they could see a miraculous that seemed to be damaged- depicted with cracks along the front and the backs of the jewel. Camilla and Adrien studied the image, and Marinette began to read.

“...A broken miraculous causes corrupted magic, which can cause similar symptoms to magic poisoning, along with fatigue and vertigo. These symptoms will persist and each consecutive use will aggravate these symptoms and worsen the condition. Prolonged or constant use will cause necrosis of the muscles and brain tissue in the body and cause a permanent slumber.” Marinette looked up at Adrien with a small frown. 

“So… you’re telling me that the peacock miraculous was broken when they were using that? And my mom used the miraculous to death?” 

Marinette replied solemnly, “I’m afraid so. I’m really sorry, Adrien…”

Adrien started down at the ground. He was angry at his father- how could he hide this from him? Then again, he remembered that his father did tell him… so his anger shifted to his mom. He exhaled curtly. 

“Adrien, what’s wrong?” Camilla asked. 

“How could my mom be so selfish?!” He asked, an angry inflection clear in his voice. Camilla’s eyes widened as she grabbed his arm. Marinette watched, covering her mouth with her hands. 

Camilla tried to calm him down, “Calm down, primo… It’s okay.” 

“Okay… okay, I’m calming down...” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and exhaled. 

Marinette yawned, as she leaned on her arm. “Don’t let this ruin your vacation, Adrien... you can talk about this when you come home.” 

He thought about it, and she was right. This week was supposed to be fun, and stuff like this shouldn’t ruin that for him. “Good idea.” From a distance, Camilla and Adrien heard yelling from downstairs- it must be dinner time. 

“Well, it sounds like it’s dinner time for you, and bedtime for me.” Marinette smiled, as she yawned. 

“Guess so. Nice to meet you Marinette.” Camilla said with a grin, “Tell your friend that I love her blog.” 

“Of course I will. Talk to you later, Camilla! I love you, Adrien. Have a good night!” Marinette waved. 

“I love you too, Marinette. See you soon.” He smiled and waved, as he hung up. Camilla was still worried as she still saw that Adrien was downtrodden at the revelation. It was apparent it was bothering him more than he was leading on. 

She patted his back. “We can talk about this later, okay? Just… put on a happy façade for dinner, so that no one suspects.” 

He nodded. “Yeah, I will… Come on, before your mom gets too upset that we’re late.” They got up, and headed downstairs, and Adrien was a bit excited to see what's for supper. One benefit about visiting Uncle Raphaël and Aunt Alicia is that he’s trying foods he’s never tried before. Tonight, it seemed like dinner was arroz con pollo. He’s had paella before, which was similar to this. It was a bit of a tight squeeze around the table, but they all managed to fit. As Adrien suspected, it was delicious! Though apparently his happy façade wasn’t too convincing. Adeline frowned and put her fork down. 

“Adrien are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay, Adeline… why?” 

“You look sad.” 

“I’m not sad,” Adrien shoved a forkful of rice into his mouth, “just tired… don’t worry, ma douce.” 

Adeline nodded wordlessly, as she continued to eat her dinner. Gabriel and Nathalie looked to each other, and then to Raphael and Alicia. They simply shrugged. They ate and exchanged typical table conversations between each other. Everyone enjoyed the meal. Once it was done, and dessert was also served and consumed, the kids were excused to return to their play, or their conversations. Adrien, Camilla, Adeline and Lúcia returned upstairs. Adeline watched as Camilla’s bedroom door shut after she and Adrien entered. 

“Lúcia, I’m scared.” Adeline frowned as she walked towards the center of the bedroom, and sitting on the floor. 

Lúcia sits beside her and says, “Don’t be scared. He’s okay…” 

Not entirely convinced, Adeline decided to ask the nearest adult about the situation- not her mom, not her dad, not her aunt or uncle, but Emilie. She called for the angel, and she appeared before them. Emilie brings herself to their level. “Yes, Adeline?” 

“Is Adrien really okay? I’m worried for him.” 

Emilie knew exactly what has gotten Adrien so upset, and she was well aware it was her own fault. It hurt her heart that her only son was angry and upset with her though she was long gone, but she supposed that when the truth came out… it would only hurt him. “He’s okay. I’ve seen him. He is just tired. He got up very early...” She half-lied. 

Adeline readily accepted it, and nodded. She felt at ease. It was Lúcia’s turn to ask a question. “Miss Emilie, what were you like when you were alive? Where did you live and what did you do?” 

“I lived in Paris, France. I was a movie star.” Her reply was much more truthful this time. 

“Wow, that’s really cool! What movie?” Lúcia asks, with a big grin. 

“A movie called  _ Solitude _ .” 

Adeline added, “Papa has lots of movies at home… maybe he has that one!” 

Emilie tensed up. “Ah, but it’s not a film for little ones… maybe ask your Papa when you’re older.” 

The young girls were disappointed, but only momentarily. Adeline had another question, “Did you have kids?” 

“Yes, I had one.” 

“What’s his name?” 

“Adrien.” 

The young girls were impressed. “Hey, that’s my big brother’s name!” Adeline excitedly replied. “Who was your family?” 

Emilie had a bit of a nervous feeling in her stomach. “I-I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m not allowed to say that.” She explained to them. She knew they didn’t have malicious intentions, but she still couldn’t disclose that information. 

“Well, why not?” Lúcia asks. 

“Because it’s the rules that I must follow.” 

The young girls accepted this answer, though they were disappointed that adults had rules to follow as well. They whispered amongst themselves. Adeline then asked, “Would my papa know you?”

“I’m not allowed to answer that either.” Emilie pursed her lips as she looked at her hands. There’s so much she wanted to tell the young girls, but knew that now wasn’t the right time. Soon, Nathalie was standing at the door. It was time for the little girls to go to bed. Nathalie helped them brush their teeth and get their pajamas on. Both mothers tucked them in, and said good night to their daughters. As the mothers left, Emilie returned. They had no questions, but did request that she sing them a lullaby. Of course, the angel complied, flying over head as she crooned the lullaby Adrien loved most as a child. She watched as her singing soothed the excitable toddlers to sleep after just a few minutes. Some shimmer from her wings dusted the surface of the bedding on the bed, and on the setup on the floor. Once the girls were asleep, it was time for her to meet them in their dreams. The young girls decided to use their dreams for fun, and to save their questions for the adults in the morning.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes, I did use Google Translate for the Hebrew bits. I apologize profusely.

The girls woke up the next morning in quite a good mood. This came off as a surprise to their parents, as usually both girls are very grouchy first thing in the morning. They greeted their parents and siblings with smiles, and hugs. Adrien and Camilla sensed something was off, but neither of them could pinpoint it. They swallowed the dread, as a big, pancake breakfast was served. Adeline was entranced- she hadn’t had pancakes quite like these before, and they were delicious. Gabriel reeled in horror watching his young daughter drowning her pancakes in syrup, and proceeding to get it all in her hair and all over her face. Raphaël and Alicia were amused. 

“I suppose we found her new favorite, huh?” Raphaël joked with his brother. Gabriel just heaved a sigh. After breakfast, it was bathtime for Adeline. Nathalie was supervising, and making sure all the dried bits of syrup had been washed away. Once her bath was done, Nathalie helped Adeline get dressed. Once the younger girls were dressed and ready for the day, Alicia suggested that they take a walk to the farmers’ market at the park, to let the babies get some fresh air before it got too hot. Nathalie thought that was a splendid idea, and the oldest kids also wanted to tag along as well. They would pick up fresh fruits to make a tart for dessert that evening. Gabriel had no interest in going, and Raphaël suggested that he also stay behind to keep his little brother company. Though Gabriel insisted he would be fine by himself, Raphaël insisted that he stay behind with his little brother- both of them living up to the trait of Agrestes being stubborn. 

As the women waved goodbye, with the babies and eldest children in tow, the men found themselves alone. Their girls were upstairs, playing well together at the very least for the moment. Gabriel hardly knew what to talk about with his brother- it’s been so long that it was just them. A safe bet was to ask about work- which went over fairly well, it seems. Raphaël talked about how he had recently just earned a promotion and was now a manager of his sect in his office. This pleasantly surprised Gabriel- his brother truly had changed, and it sounded like he was making fairly decent money as well. Then, of course, they got on the topic of their kids. Of course they did- their prides and joys. Speaking of, they heard the pitter patter of tiny feet, and a fit of giggles. Those two must be up to something

Lúcia directed her cousin towards a large shelving unit, containing hundreds of DVDs. She said that her daddy had just about any movie she could think of, so maybe if they look hard enough, they could find the movie Miss Emilie was in. Of course, they couldn’t reach the very top shelves, as they weren’t tall enough. Suddenly, Lúcia crouched down, gesturing for Adeline to climb onto her shoulders. 

“Are you sure that it’s okay?” Adeline asks. 

Lúcia nodded. “Don’t worry, I got this. I’m tough and strong- Daddy says I am.” She smiled. That was enough convincing for Adeline- who climbed up onto her cousin’s shoulders. It was an effective idea at least- though they couldn’t reach the top two shelves, she certainly could reach most of them. Adeline began to search through the movies, but nothing in particular was standing out to her. She just knew that she’ll know when they found the right movie. Unfortunately, however, it seems like Lúcia wasn’t quite as strong as she thought- carrying another human that was roughly around the same size as she was proved to be more difficult than she expected. She began to stumble. Adeline looked down. 

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” 

“Y-yeah, I’m okay… keep looking…” Lúcia persisted, obviously lying. 

Adeline nodded, and kept searching for the DVD. Still nothing. She must have taken too long, because Lúcia suddenly toppled over. Both girls fell to the ground with a loud thud. At least it wasn’t too rough of a landing. Upon hearing a loud crash, Gabriel and Raphaël got up and ran into the living room. Of course, their toddler daughters had made a mess, and they learned why quiet toddlers are ones to be careful for. 

“Girls, what are you doing?” Raphaël asked. 

“We’re looking for a movie, Daddy.” Lúcia replied with an innocent smile. 

He sighed, “Just ask for help next time, okay sweetheart? What movie did you want to watch?” 

The girls looked at each other, their brains hard at work as they tried to remember such a cumbersome word. Adeline turned her head, “Solly-tude… right?” 

“Ah, I think I have that movie!” Raphaël beamed at the small girls, but earning an annoyed glance from Gabriel. The older man began to look through his movie collection, eyes scanning the DVD cases on the shelf. As he reached the bottom shelves, he smiled as he pulled out the movie. Gabriel was in disbelief- how on Earth did a copy of the movie end up in the hands of his brother? It was even autographed by Emilie. Adeline looked at the DVD case in her uncle’s hand- her eyes began to subtly glow a faint blue, as a confirmation that was what they were looking for. The adults didn’t seem to notice this bizarre phenomenon.

Gabriel asked his brother, “How did you manage to get your hands on an autographed copy of Emilie’s movie?” 

“She sent it my way, thinking that I’d like it for my collection. She was right. It’s a good movie… you want to watch it? Is it okay if your kid watches it too?” 

Gabriel was slightly uncomfortable still, but he looked down at his daughter, who was hugging him and looking up at him. Her bright eyes and gentle smile swayed his opinion. “Yes, that’s fine. Come on, let’s go watch the movie, okay?” He said to Adeline. 

She eagerly dragged him to the couch, and forced him to sit down. She sat beside him, and immediately tucked herself under his arm and leaned against him. His arm held her close to him. Lúcia sat on the opposite side of her cousin, and watched her father set up the DVD player and movie. Once completely set up, Raphaël took a seat next to his daughter. Lúcia immediately curls up to him as the movie begins. The opening credits began to roll, and once the opening scene began, Lúcia and Adeline were almost instantly captivated, much to the shock of their fathers. It was a noir, avant-guard movie- a movie that they didn’t expect three year olds to like. They turned to each other, and whispered something that neither man could make out. They didn’t think much of it. 

As the movie continued to play, Gabriel felt himself become less tense. Somehow, seeing his young daughter so captivated with his late first wife’s movie brought an unexplained sense of comfort to him. Perhaps one day, he’d tell her all about Emilie, if Nathalie would allow that. The comfort didn’t last too long, however, as Adeline spoke the dialogue in the movie without missing a beat. Lúcia echoed the other woman in the movie, the two girls giggling once again after the dialogue exchange. Raphaël smiled at them, but noticed that his brother was a bit concerned. 

“What’s wrong, Gabe?” He asked in a low voice. 

Gabriel was surprised he even had to answer that. He replied in a hushed voice, “What do you mean what’s wrong? You didn’t hear anything the girls just said?”

“Oh… that? It was adorable. They were just pretending… calm down, okay?” 

Gabriel nodded, sinking back into the couch. Maybe he was right, maybe it was all in his head. Maybe the girls weren’t actually mimicking the scene perfectly and they were talking about… whatever three year olds talked about. Gabriel heard a soft yawn, and then a small head resting in his lap. It seemed like someone was bored, or just tired. He looked at the clock- it was getting close to nap time. Adeline didn’t nap much nowadays, but he suspected that the time change may be getting to her. His hand carded through his daughter’s hair, and looked over to his niece. She was still bright eyed and bushy tailed at the moment, and still oddly captivated by the movie. 

When the end credits began to roll, Raphaël turned to look at his daughter. “So Lucie, how did you like that?”

“Daddy, that movie was really good! I saw the pretty lady with the umbrella. She was nice.” 

“That’s great, sweetie… I’m glad you liked it. And yes, she did have an umbrella…” 

“No Daddy, she was in my room.” Lúcia said, with a dead serious expression on her face. 

Raphaël wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Gabriel, however, seemed to recognize what she was talking about. Gabriel clarified, “She must have met Adeline’s friend.” 

Raphaël nodded in understanding. “That’s very nice. I’m sure she’s a nice lady.” 

Lúcia positively replied, “Yes Daddy, she is very nice…” She yawned, and stretched her arms over her head. 

“Someone’s tired.” He commented to her. He noticed that Adeline was fast asleep on Gabriel’s lap. “Let’s get you two in a bed, so you can nap comfortably.” Lúcia agreed, immediately clinging to her father. Gabriel delicately picked up the sleeping timebomb from his lap, and cradled her gently, as he carried her up the stairs. Raphaël followed behind. They laid the girls down in their beds, and said their goodnights to them. They exited the bedroom, quietly shutting the door as they headed back down the stairs. Just as they sat back down on the couch, the rest of their family returned, loaded with lots of fresh and local fruit, milk and butter. 

“So, how did it go?” Nathalie asks. 

“It went great,” Raphaël remarked and playfully jabbed his elbow into Gabriel’s ribs, “right, brother?”

“Yes, it was… great. Delightful, actually. The girls are currently sleeping. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you.” 

Nathalie smiled. “Ah, I’m sure. I bet they’d like to try some of the fruit we got as well… I’ll cut some up for them to share. We bought plenty of extra fruit so that we can enjoy it outside of tart form.” As she turned around to prepare a fruit platter for the girls, it seemed like Adrien and Camilla had gotten their hands on some peaches. They rinsed them, before sinking their teeth into the fruit. Adrien swears it was the best peach he had in his entire life. While he was savoring the sweetness of the peach, he felt a hand tapping his shoulder. He turned around. 

“Oh, I’m sorry Father, did you want some?” Adrien offered his dad the fruit. 

Gabriel shook his head, “That’s alright Adrien, thank you though. You… didn’t show your sister your mother’s movie at any point, have you?” 

“No… why do you ask?” Adrien asked, cocking a brow up. 

“Oh… well, your sister and your cousin perfectly mimicked a scene in the movie… word for word. Without hesitation or skipping and--” 

“That’s interesting… Are you sure that’s what happened, and it wasn’t just some random toddler talk?”

Gabriel sighed. Of course he’d say that. “Your uncle said the same thing… maybe I’m starting to lose my mind. Who knows.” 

Adrien patted his father’s shoulder sympathetically. “No Dad, it’s okay… I don’t think you are.” 

Gabriel smiled a little, thankful for the reassurance. That peach his son was holding smelled delightful- so much so that he decided to pick one for himself. 

As the girls were napping upstairs, they had almost immediately found Emilie. However, they escaped past the safety of their dream realm, and out into the more dangerous angel world. They weren’t normally allowed here, as Emilie had deemed this part too dangerous for little girls such as themselves. As they found themselves wandering, hand in hand so they didn't get separated, their angel friend popped up from the clouds below them. She seemed exhausted, and equally as surprised at who was standing next to her. 

“My little ones, what are you doing here? I’ve told you, it’s far too dangerous in this part of the world…” She replied, as she materialized a magical sword. The blade began to glow, charged by a holy, purifying fire from the core. 

“I know, I’m sorry... “ Adeline apologized on behalf of them both, “but we just saw the movie you were in.” 

Once again, Emile found herself surprised. She was surveying her surroundings. The creature she was fighting hadn’t followed her here yet, so she decided to take a moment to pause. “Oh really? That’s… rather surprising.” 

“Why?” 

Emilie had seen Gabriel’s hesitance to share her film with their own child. His hesitance hurt her, but at least Adrien got to see it in the end. How did Adeline convince Gabriel, possibly the most stubborn man in all of Paris, to watch it? “Oh… never mind.” 

Adeline simply shrugged. “Oh, okay… well, it was really good! We even remembered all the words to your part with the other lady. We even did it ourselves while we watched.” 

Emilie was touched, smiling at them. “I’m so glad you liked it. It’s not really a movie I would expect you to like at your age… But I am glad you watched it.” Whatever she was fighting beforehand seemed to have found its way back to her- its large form erupted from the clouds beneath them. It was some sort of chimera, as she identified the lion’s head, goat’s body, and its snake tail. With a deep inhale, it let out a roar and flames erupted from its mouth. They came billowing towards the three of them. Thinking quickly, the holy fire in the sword shot out, forming a barrier between them and the chimera. The shield absorbed all the flame breath. Emilie turned to them, “Little ones, stay back… this creature is very, very dangerous.” 

They did as they were told- mesmerized by the giant, fire breathing creature. Adeline watched Emilie fighting, being so bold and nimble in her steps. Her face fell. 

“What’s wrong?” Lúcia asked. 

Adeline sighed, “I just wanna help.” 

“But we’re too little.” 

“I know… but one day, we won’t be.” Adeline replied, casting her gaze upward again. Emilie took flight, attempting to charge the creature. However, it had other plans. With another deep breath drawn, more of its magical flames came out. Emilie swiftly dodged it and Lúcia noticed, and forced herself to move out of the way. Adeline, however, didn’t seem to notice. 

“Watch out!” Lúcia cried. 

“Huh?” Adeline looked up and froze. It was too late for her to move. The flames collided with her. She didn’t burn, however, something else happened. She got knocked back. Lúcia gasped and crawled over to check up on Adeline. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. 

Adeline nodded, “.אני בסדר (I’m fine.)” but when she began to speak, something was clearly wrong, judging by the look on her cousin’s face. 

“What did you say? Say it again.” 

Adeline repeated herself. Lúcia clearly was baffled by what was going on. They decided to watch Emilie, who had finally wrangled the massive beast. She drove her sword straight into the belly of the beast, causing it to vanish in a cloud of smoke and shimmer of glitter. Emilie stood up, sheathing her sword away in her cloud storage. She got down on one knee.

“Is everything alright with you two?” She asked.

“No, there’s something wrong with Adeline, Miss Emilie….” 

Emilie frowned as she looked over Adeline. “What’s wrong? Do you feel okay?” 

Adeline replied, “.כן אני בסדר (Yes, I’m okay.)” However, just like Lúcia, Emilie had the same puzzled look. Then, she seemed to realize. 

“Oh… oh dear. It seems like the Chimera’s fires were not true flames… but rather magical flames. This one in particular seems to affect language.” 

Lúcia replied in disbelief, “What?”

“Speak again, Adeline.” 

“.נשבע שאני בסדר (I swear I’m okay.)” Adeline said again. Emilie scratched her chin as she tried to decipher which tongue she was speaking in. 

“It seems like she’s speaking Hebrew… the language of the old testament.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“The Bible- the first part of it. That’s called the old testament.” 

“Oh, okay… but how do we get it back to normal?” 

“There’s a remedy I can prepare. However, it does take a few hours to procure all the ingredients and to brew the remedy. Just make sure she doesn’t speak, so that people don’t question it. Just watch yourself for any residual magic in the area surrounding her..” 

Lúcia nodded. She had an idea, and just in time. The girls were starting to fade out of the spirit realm, “Wait… what does rez-id-you-all mean?” She asked again, however, it was too late for Emilie to answer. Adeline awoke first, yawning softly as she stretched her arms over her head. She looked over to Lúcia, who was still sleeping. After a few minutes, she began to awaken. She turned to look at Adeline. “Are you feeling okay now?”

Adeline replied, “.כן, אני מרגיש בסדר (Yeah, I feel fine.)” 

Lúcia was a bit surprised. She recognized that Adeline wasn’t speaking normally at all, but she found herself understanding it vaguely. “You’re fine?” 

“.אני פשוט בסדר (Yes, I’m just fine…)” 

Lúcia sighed in relief, as Nathalie came into the room. She seemed to be holding a plate of fresh fruits, cut into toddler-sized pieces, with two cups of water. “Hello girls, I hope you two had a good nap.” 

“We did, Auntie Nathalie.” Lúcia smiled, as she got out of her bed and sat on the floor next to the makeshift area where Adeline was sleeping. 

“Your mother and I got some fresh fruit while we were gone, and decided to cut some up for you two to enjoy as a snack.” Nathalie said, as she placed the plate on the ground, and handed them a sippy cup each. Adeline smiled in gratitude, as she reached for a piece of peach and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up. “Do you like that, ma petite?” 

“!כן אמא, זה טעים. תודה (Yes Mama, it’s delicious, thank you!)” Adeline commented. Nathalie looked at Adeline strangely, as Lúcia panicked to come up with an excuse. 

As she grabbed herself a piece of peach, she said, “Um, she really likes it! We’re playing a game and she’s speaking a language we made up. I’m her speaking person. This is really good.” She commented as she popped the fruit into her mouth. 

“Ah… okay. Well I’m glad you two like it…” Nathalie smiled, as she exited the room. As the two of them began to share their fruit platter, Lúcia looked at Adeline, chastising her for not being careful enough and how they almost got themselves into big trouble. Adeline apologized, but expressed her frustration about not being able to use her words like a big girl. Lúcia began to understand more and more of the new tongue Adeline was stuck with the more she talked into it. She just wasn’t sure if it was the actual magic affecting her by proxy, or if she was just really good at guessing and interpreting what was being expressed. 

For the remainder of the afternoon, they remained up in Lúcia’s room, playing with the large doll house she had. They decided to finally pool together all of their toy resources to come up with a large scale adventure. As they played, they finished up their fruit, each of them savoring its sweetness and genuinely enjoying each bite. As the afternoon began to come to a close, and the early hours of the evening were setting in, their game of House was interrupted by not their parents, but by their big siblings. 

“Hey guys, it’s time for dinner. Papa made steak.” Camilla said with a grin. Lúcia was visibly excited, and once Adeline could smell the spices, and she was also excited now. It smelled different than the kind of steak she would get at home, and she was eager to try it. The girls got up, and Adeline grabbed the plate that they had been served their fruit on earlier. Before they headed downstairs, they grabbed their sippy cups. As they got downstairs, the four of them were greeted with quite the spread. Steak, seared with cumin, paprika, chipotle pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Alongside, there was grilled corn, freshly baked rolls, and fries as well. They all snagged a spot at the table, definitely not forgetting their appetites. 

“You kids better not eat too much… I made a peach crumble, and there’s a fruit salad as well- with watermelon and berries as well.” Alicia said, placing two small plates of food in front of the younger girls- their steak was cut up into small bits already for them, with a small helping of everything. The littlest members of the family were served something else, but equally as delicious. Camilla and Adrien began to eat, very visibly excited and looking forward to the dessert. Adeline was practically salivating, as she began to eat. How could she not? Everything was cooked to perfection and seasoned magnificently, however, she also generally enjoyed food. She smiled as she tasted the steak. 

“You like that, angel?” Raphaël asked his niece. 

Adeline simply nodded, as she continued to eat. Lúcia, though far picker than her cousin, tried at least everything, but decided she wasn’t a fan of the corn. Adeline noticed this, and hovered her fork over it. With permission, she began to eat that too. Gabriel watched in horror. 

“Adeline, that’s not very ladylike of you to do that. Stop that and apologize.” Gabriel sternly ordered her. 

Adeline stopped, frowning at Lúcia in shame. Nathalie gave Gabriel a bit of a glare for the trouble he had caused with his chastising. Aside from that, dinner went smoothly, and the dessert only sweetened the deal. A peach crumble was certainly a new dessert for Gabriel, Nathalie, Adrien and Adeline, but a very welcome one. Adrien wondered if any fruit could be made into a crumble now. He’d have to ask Marinette- she’d have to know a thing or two about American desserts. The fruit salad was also divine- all the fruits were wonderfully in season, and everyone ended up going back for seconds. When dinner was over, Alicia and Camilla began to clean up- Nathalie insisted she help, however, Alicia and Camilla didn’t believe in letting guests do work around their house. After they ate, Lúcia and Adeline headed back upstairs. They were glad that no one suspected that one of them was much quieter than normal. It helps that Adeline is usually a very calm and quiet kid most of the time. They were just about to start up their game again, when Emilie suddenly appeared before them. She was messy, the sleeves of her pristine white gown stained with a violet color. 

“I… think I have the cure. It’s brewing right now… it should be ready soon.” Emilie sighed in relief. 

The girls seemed equally as relieved. There was a knock on the door, which caused the angel to take cover in the closet. It was an instinct, despite not being visible to the eyes of many. 

“Lúcia, your mom told me that your bathtime is soon.” Adrien smiled at them, but met with an exasperated groan from his cousin. 

“Fine…” She huffed, as she stood up. She walked to her dresser to look for some pajamas. Since he was here, Adeline held up her cup for her big brother to take. 

“?אפשר שיהיה לי מים בבקשה (May I have some more water please?)” 

Adrien looked at her, eyes widened and brows raised. Whatever she just said, it definitely wasn’t in any language he could understand. “What did you say?” 

Before she could speak again, Adeline was cut off by Lúcia. 

“I think she asked for some water.” She grabbed a pair of pajamas from her drawer. 

Adeline nodded to confirm, and Adrien took the cup from her. 

“...Okay…” He hesitated for a moment, as he headed downstairs. He wasn’t quite sure what to say.

Adeline looked a bit worried at the reaction from Adrien. She was assured by her cousin that it’ll all be okay. Adrien soon returned with a cup of water for Adeline, just as Lúcia was summoned to the bathroom for her bath. “Here’s your water, Adeline.” 

She took the cup, and took a sip. “.תודה (Thank you.)”

“...I have no idea what you just said, but you’re welcome, I think.” He smiled at her sheepishly, before backing out of the room. She figured she may as well als get ready for bed, so she walked over to her suitcase, and picked out her pajamas. Tonight was a ballerina sort of night- so she chose those, and got herself dressed. While waiting for Lúcia to come back, Adeline laid on her stomach, and looked into the closet. She noticed that Emilie had vanished, and wondered where she went. After a few minutes of sitting alone and staring into the dark closet, Lúcia returned from her bath, and also got into her pajamas. Afterwards, they both went into the bathroom and brushed their teeth. They were all ready for bed, however, they still had playtime for 15 minutes, and they decided to wrap up their marvelous adventures with their toys. Once their 15 minutes was up, their mothers came in to tuck them into bed. Both girls got into their beds. After being tucked in, they got their goodnight kisses. Their moms left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door behind them. 

Though not tired, Adeline tried to force herself to sleep. She just wanted to be able to be understood again. It took a bit longer for her to sleep as she found herself restless, but eventually, she did fall asleep. It seemed like Lúcia and Emilie were waiting for her. 

“What took so long?” Lúcia asked. 

Adeline shrugged, as she looked to Emilie. It seems like she had changed her robes from just a few minutes ago. In her hands, she held two small vials of a purple liquid- the cure to remove the strange effects from the chimera’s fire breath. Lúcia had explained her predicament to Emilie, and was thankful the angel came prepared. She extended the two uncapped vials to them, and they drank the contents of the vial. The liquid was not very pleasant, tasting rather bitter. They shuddered, as the vials in their hands suddenly poofed. “Did it work…?” Adeline hesitantly asked. 

Lúcia grinned. “Yeah! You sound like… you!” 

Emilie smiled, and hugged both of them as well. “Excellent! Now, promise me you’ll be more careful and won’t get hit by anymore chimera’s breaths again, okay?” 

“I promise.” 

“Good… now, come along… there’s lots of fun to be had tonight.” Emilie said. She led them off into the safety of the dream space. 

Meanwhile, Gabriel laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn’t sleepy tired, but he was more than tired of overthinking. Ever since showing Adeline Emilie’s movie and letting her know of her existence, he’d been fretting if she was still too young. Nathalie was putting Solomon down in the crib, when she heard Gabriel ask, “Should I tell her?” 

“Tell who what?” Nathalie responded, slightly confused. 

“Should I tell Adeline about Emilie, and what happened to her? I mean, she’ll eventually ask about what Adrien’s mother was like, right? Maybe we should just tell her so she doesn’t.” 

“Well… I don’t see why not. She may be too young to understand, though, so she’ll probably ask again anyway.” 

He sighed. “You’re right. Maybe I should wait…” 

“And what about the whole ‘Hawk Moth and Mayura’ part of that story?” 

Oh. He hadn’t thought of that at all. “Well,” he stumbled on his thoughts, “I just won’t tell her. It’s not  _ that _ important...” 

“...Yes, but she may find out about it later anyway.” Nathalie warned. “I’m just worried that she’ll hate us both if she finds out.” 

“For now, we won’t even mention it. But, I think I should at least talk to her about it… if you’re okay with that.” He skipped over the second concern she brought up, but had the same fear. 

“I’m fine with it. Besides, if you weren’t going to tell her, Adrien probably would anyway.” She replied, with a chuckle. She laid in bed next to him, and scooted closer to him so they may cuddle. 

“So, it’s settled. When we get back home… I’ll tell her what I can about Emilie…” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 


	31. Chapter 31

All good things must come to an end, unfortunately. After a whole week of fun, bonding, and exploring, it was time for Gabriel and his family to return to France. Camilla and Adrien had exchanged phone numbers, and he promised her to text once he landed in France. Adeline pouted, as she was being forced to say goodbye to her cousin, and newest friend. Lúcia was equally as upset, beginning to cry as she clung to her dad. The girls had even swapped toys. Lúcia had given Adeline one of her Ladybug dolls. Adeline had given Lúcia an extra stuffed Pinkie Pie she had acquired. Gabriel and the family said their final goodbyes, waving as they headed to the gate. Adeline sat next to her big brother, looking down at her feet as she swung her legs out of boredom. She wanted to be on her best behavior for her parents this time. She noted how they seemed tired, and a bit sad as well. 

Their flight was notably rather uneventful, though Solomon did throw a fit about halfway through. At least he settled down rather quickly, much to the thankfulness of his parents. When they landed, Gabriel had realized that tomorrow was Emilie’s birthday. Per tradition, he and Adrien would go and visit her, and bring a dozen roses each. Adrien would give peach colored roses- for appreciation and gratitude. In past years, Gabriel would give red and white for unity, though after he married Nathalie, he started leaving hot and light pink ones instead, to express his appreciation and gratitude for her coming into his life, giving him his son, and the other good she had done for him. He made it a point to order the roses for tomorrow as soon as they got back to the mansion. 

When they finally made it home, they all felt a collective sense of contentment. While vacationing was fun, coming home afterwards was always equally as satisfying as relaxing. They had a few days to adjust back into their normal lives, before Monday rolled around and it was time to return to work and go to school. While unpacking and putting away his clothes, Gabriel began to contemplate. He looked at Nathalie and asked, “Are you really sure you’re okay with me taking our daughter along with me and Adrien tomorrow?” 

“Of course I am… I already told you I was.” 

“You’re amazing, Nathalie… Thank you.” He replied, as he pulled her into a hug, and kissed her on the cheek. 

She simply hugs him back, kissing him softly. “I know that Emilie means a lot to Adrien, and to you, and me. She deserves to know at least something…” 

He felt assured that he was making the right decision. By the time everyone was finished unpacking and settled, it was dinner time. The only way to try and curb jet lag was to go back into their normal routine, he’s recognized. Even though there were two complaining kids how they ‘weren’t hungry’ and didn’t see why they needed to eat if they weren’t hungry. With a stern talking to, the complaining children ate their supper. The rest of the night went on mostly normal…. Aside from Adeline whining about now not tired she was as she was being tucked in. 

“Papa, I’m not tired…” 

“I know, ma princesse, but you’ll be grumpy tomorrow when you wake up if you don’t sleep now.” She pouted, as she flopped back on her pillows and stared up as she narrowed her eyes. He simply smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good night.” He got up, and then left the room. Adeline tossed and turned, angrily relenting as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Emilie’s head soon poked out of the ceiling. 

“Adeline… you need to go to sleep, little one.” 

The toddler simply pouted again, turning on her side. “Why?” 

“Because you need your beauty sleep, to be your best princessy self. Don’t you agree?” 

Adeline nodded, as Emilie slowly descended. The angel seats herself beside the young girl. With a snap of her fingers, a rack of glitters appeared in her hand, of all colors of the rainbow. Red and green seemed to have been used- and Adeline wondered what those two did. Emilie reached for the white vial, and opened it up. 

“What’s that?” 

“Just some magic powders…” 

“What do the red and green ones do?” 

Emilie looked at them, and back to her. “...I’ll tell you when you're a bit older…” She began to sprinkle some of the white, shimmery substance on her pillow. It smelled of lavender, and almost instantly, Adeline yawned. As the toddler fell asleep, Emilie gently stroked her hair. Once she was soundly asleep, the angel returned to her realm, to meet up with the small girl in her dreams. 

As predicted, the morning began off slow. Very slow, in fact. When Gabriel came in to come and wake her up, it seemed like he was still half asleep himself. He yawned, as he kneeled down and gently shook Adeline. She woke up slowly, blinking and then rubbing her eyes. “Good morning, Papa…” She said groggily. 

“Good morning, ma princesse…” He yawned, as he picked her up out of bed. She cuddled into his shoulder as they headed downstairs. He assumed she would like breakfast, a correct assumption to make. There were some freshly made croissants available, courtesy of the chef who was up quite early to make them. As she was served a warm cup of hot chocolate, she began to dig into her pastry. Gabriel watched with a smile. “I wonder where your lazy brother is... “ He asked himself. Moments later, Adrien entered the dining room, yawning as he sat himself at the table. He begins to eat a croissant as well. 

“Morning Dad. Morning Adeline.” Adrien greeted them sleepily. 

  
  


“Good morning.” Adeline said, mouth full of croissant. Gabriel greeted him as well. They went over the plan for today. Normally they would spend some time there, but today’s weather forecast called for rain. After breakfast, they would go to the florist to pick up their roses, and then head off to the cemetery. Nathalie and Solomon joined the family at the table now, and everyone greeted them happily- or as happy as a jetlagged family could. At least Solomon seemed to be fairly happy. After Adrien had finished his breakfast, he excused himself to get ready for the day, and Gabriel went to help Adeline, but not before serving his wife her breakfast for her, including her cup of coffee. Before helping their daughter, he kissed both his wife and their son. He took Adeline upstairs and helped her pick out her outfit. For today, she opted to wear her new dress- white with a rainbow skirt. He thought it was fitting, and would perhaps bring a little sunshine to the cloudy skies and dreary events. 

After she was dressed, she requested that Papa pick out a bow and put her hair up with it. Gabriel nodded, finding a white bow with rainbow dots all over it the most fitting for this scenario. He brushed her hair, and pulled it back into a half ponytail. She was happy, and Adrien was ready. She noticed that Adrien was wearing his rain boots and raincoat, and she wanted to match. Gabriel couldn’t say no- so he handed her a lavender raincoat and got her black rain boots. After she put them on, Adrien and Gabriel smiled at her. 

“You look so cute, Addy.” Adrien said with a small smile. 

Gabriel nodded, “That raincoat is absolutely darling on you. You’re like a little ray of sunshine on this dreary day.” 

Adeline smiled wide. “Like Mama?” 

“Just like Mama.” His smile softened. 

“Now I need to get ready... It shouldn’t take too long. Adrien, you can handle her for a few moments, I presume?” 

“Don’t worry Dad, I can.” He gestured to his sister to come with him, which she did. Gabriel walked down the hall, and Adrien took Adeline into his room for the time being. She was aware that she, Adrien and her papa were going somewhere, but she didn’t know where.

She asked, “Where we going?” 

Adrien turned to her. “Today is my mama’s birthday.” 

Her eyes widened. “My mama isn’t your mama?” 

“Nope. I have a different mama. We have the same papa, though.” 

“Where is your mama, Adrien?” She asked innocently. 

Adrien wanted to tell her, but didn’t know how to explain it in a way to make sense. “She’s… in Heaven.” 

“Oh… okay! I think I’ve been there before.” She replied nonchalantly. Adrien felt his stomach lurch at the reply. 

“Oh, really? Was it nice?” 

“Yeah, everything was white and sparkly…” She replied. Thankfully, Gabriel came in, and told them that they should get going. The kids nodded, as they followed him outside to the car. Gorilla was waiting for them all, to stop at the florist first. Once they all got in, they were on their way. They were taken across town, to the best florist that Paris offers. The car stopped in front, and Gabriel ushered the kids out. They walked inside, and Adeline was taken aback by all the pretty flowers and their smells. She was particularly drawn to the rainbow daisies, as she parked herself in front of the display. Gabriel was watching her to the best of his ability, while also ordering the roses for Emilie. He called for Adeline, and she came to him. She held his hand as she looked at the bouquets of roses behind handed to them. As they were going to leave, Adeline asked, “what about Mama?” 

Gabriel froze, as he looked at the bouquets. “Oh… uh… right. I’ll take another bouquet of roses. Red and white, with sprigs of baby breath.” 

The florist nodded, going to prepare that bouquet on the double. Once she was done, Gabriel paid and was handed the third bouquet. He offered it to Adeline to hold, and she nodded. She held it with both of her hands, as it was a bit too big for her to hold it single handedly. They returned to the car, and then headed to Emilie’s resting place. Just as they pulled up to the section of the cemetery where she was laid to rest, it began to rain. Gabriel frowned, as he and Adrien each grabbed an umbrella from their door. They exited the car, with Gabriel helping Adeline out, and onto the ground. Adrien had taken his peach roses, and proceeded to walk towards Emilie’s plot, ahead of his dad and sister. Gabriel closed the car door, holding the umbrella and bouquet of dark and light pink roses in one hand. 

With his other hand, Gabriel grabbed Adeline’s, looking down at her. A small rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. “Adeline, I think it’s time I tell you… do you know why we’re here?” 

She looked up at him as she squeezed his hand gently. She stepped up from the street onto the wet grass. “Yes Papa… we’re here to visit Adrien’s mama. It’s her birthday.” 

“Yes, that’s right… and do you know what this place is?” 

She seemed a bit confused. “Heaven?” She replied earnestly. She remembered heaven looking a lot different, but maybe that was just her dream. 

He shook his head. “No… but people here usually go to heaven. The good people.” 

“But what about bad people?”

They began to walk towards Adrien. He replied simply, “Hell. Bad people usually go to Hell.” 

“Will you go to heaven, Papa?” 

“I… I’m not sure. I hope so.” 

“Why not? You’re not mean. You’re nice.” 

“Thank you, mon bijou, but…” He stopped himself, “Papa’s done some bad things before you came around…” 

Her eyebrows raised. “Like what?” 

“...I’ll tell you when you’re older.” He promptly replied, as they finally caught up to Adrien, who had already propped the roses up against the headstone. Adeline stook blankly at the marble headstone ahead of her. She could see her reflection staring back at her, protected by the canopy of the umbrella being held over her. She squeezed Gabriel’s hand again and watched him lay the roses next to Adrien’s. The three of them stood in silence, but Adeline was caught off guard as she saw a familiar looking figure pop out from behind a neighboring burial plot. The man looked friendly at the very least, but then she was shocked to find that there were so many other people standing around the cemetery. They all had wings, halos and crisp, clean white linens. Men and boys, women and girls were all around. She heard all their voices at once, and it overwhelmed her. She tried to drown it out with her own thoughts, but it wasn’t working, until she tuned herself to one little boy, who was maybe about her age. She turned her head, and in the distance, she saw a little boy who had such light hair that it was almost the color of snow, and bright blue eyes. He must have spotted her, and hastily flew over to her. He landed beside her. 

“Hi Adeline, I’m Damien. How are you?” He asked, sounding happy to see her. She didn’t get a chance to reply, as she hugs her father out of fear. “Don’t worry, I’m friendly. It’s nice to see a kid my age.” Her demeanor changed, as she eased up on her grip. She smiled at the little angel child. She wanted to ask more, but she was suddenly snapped back to reality. 

“Come on, my dear, it’s time to go home. The rain is getting worse.” Gabriel said, as he gently tugged her to come along. Adeline looked over her shoulder towards Damien. 

“Wait Adeline, will I see you later?” He asked. She simply nodded, and waved goodbye. Adrien noticed, and smiled at her. 

“Who are you waving to?” 

“Um… your mama.” She smiled innocently, despite being almost positive that she hadn’t seen Adrien’s mother. They got into the car, and headed home. When they got home, Nathalie was there to greet her husband, daughter and stepson. Gabriel approaches her, presenting the bouquet of roses to her. Nathalie smiled, accepting the flowers in her other hand as she had a baby in one arm. She leaned in to give him a kiss. Adeline cringed, and Adrien just smiled, wishing he had bought Marinette roses too. Adeline slipped away and headed up to her room, hoping she could see Damien and have a proper conversation with him, or ask Emilie about him. 

Once she got to her room, she shut the door, and began to remove her raincoat and rainboots. As she was pulling off her rain boots, Emilie appeared. Adeline’s first question was about Damien, and if she knew him. After a bit of description, Emilie recalled meeting the little boy in passing. He seemed nice, though a bit off and she should be careful. She had already promised to talk to the little boy, who seemed to be lonely. The angel sighed, as she told her to hold and wait, as she went to find him. She disappeared, and the toddler crawled over to her toys. As she started to play, Emilie returned, with the very boy she had requested. He was happy that she had kept her promise, and sat down next to her. He couldn’t remember the last time he played with toys, or really had any friends. She didn’t understand- what happened to him? 

She asked, and he explained that when he was alive, he was a very sick boy and spent a lot of his time in the hospital. He actually liked being an angel more, because he could run, jump and play like the other kids. Trouble is, there were hardly any other kids in the spirit world, and any real kids he’d come across were scared of him. Adeline was the only one who even wanted to talk to him. Instead of just shooing him away, she invited him to play with her toys. Of course, she had to give him a bit of the lowdown on what kind of toys she had and who they were- he’d only seen superhero toys, but not like the ones she had. She taught him all about the ponies, and what values they stood for. Little Damien seemed enthralled with the brightly colored horses. He’d never played with these, mainly because his parents would have said that these were for girls. “You know, my little sister likes these ponies.” Damien commented to her, holding up Fluttershy. 

“Oh, really? Who’s her favorite pony?” 

He couldn’t recall the name, but he knew who she looked like. He sets down Fluttershy and his eyes scanned over Adeline’s pony collection. He picked up Rarity. “This one!” 

“Really?! Me too!” She grinned. “I hope to meet her sometime.” 

  
  


“Oh, I think you will…” He assured her. She didn’t understand what that meant, but she would keep that in the back of her mind. A gut feeling tells her this would be important at some point later. The two of them kept playing, until it was lunchtime. Damien went away, and Adeline went to go eat her lunch. As she ate, she was wondering just what her new friend meant. He had hardly alluded to himself and his family when he was alive, which clearly means to her that all angels are under oath not to explain too much about their past life. She wondered how long ago he died, and where. She found herself more curious about the topic of heaven and hell, however, she knew hardly anything. Maybe she should ask her dad, who’s the smartest person she can think of. 

Once she finished her lunch, she left her plate at the table, but grabbed her sippy cup and made an exit to the atelier. She opened the door, and looked around. “Papa?” She called. 

He emerged from a hidden closet within the room. “Yes?” 

“What’s it like in Hell?” 

His eyes widened as he closed the door behind and approached her. “Um… well, it’s a very bad place. Filled with the bad people and non-believers.” 

She pouted. “But what does it look like?” 

Gabriel felt a trife uncomfortable that his sweet, three year old daughter was asking him such a hard hitting question, “Well… there’s lots of fire, torture… Satan condemns you to an eternity of suffering for all the bad.” 

Adeline didn’t seem phased. “Oh… so how do I not go there?” 

“Just… be a good girl, and you’ll go to Heaven.” He answered, in an attempt to shoo her away so that he could resume his search in the closet. 

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Papa.” She smiled, and then turned to leave. Before he could reply and actually process what she had asked him, she was gone. He didn’t think too deeply into it- after all, she was little, and just naturally curious. Adeline headed back upstairs to her room. She spent most of her afternoon talking to Emilie, and then Damien. She had asked them if they had ever visited Hell. Of course, Damien was too young and pure, but Emilie… she’s seen it. Adeline then asked if they could pay a visit. The angel woman refused- she was not about to bring a child to a dangerous place.

“Come on, Miss Emilie, please?” Adeline pleaded. 

“I don’t want to risk you getting attacked by any rogue evils. I don’t want to be responsible for corrupting the innocent again.” 

“I promise I’ll be careful.” 

Emilie simply sighed. “Alright, okay, fine… but only for a few minutes.” 

The living girl’s face lit up, perhaps a bit too excited to get a small taste of the underworld. Emilie opened up a gateway, Damien flying through and then helping Adeline in. They were whisked away to the underworld, surrounded by rock, flames, and of course, all the evils. Adeline began to sweat, as she looked around. Her father seemed to be right- how does he do it? Papas must be magic too. The three landed on a ledge, and the young girl leaned back against the rock. She removed her hand and saw it covered in soot. Emilie looked at her. 

“Is it everything that you were expecting?” 

Adeline smiled. “Yeah, this is so cool!” 

“Great, I’m glad you like it… but now we’re going back.” Emilie replied, with a snap of her fingers. They were back in Adeline’s bedroom. Deciding the girl had enough fun, the adult convinced the angel child that they should let Adeline be. The three of them parted ways for now. Adeline spent the rest of her afternoon drawing at her little table. Her crayons and markers were strewn across the table, as she was drawing herself and Emilie. She was so preoccupied, that she didn’t recognize how much time flew by when Adrien came to get Adeline down for dinner. He noticed that she was covered in soot, the skirt of her dress the most dirty. He wondered how, but thankfully, Gabriel and Nathalie didn’t notice quite yet. 

When it was time to start getting ready for bed, however, Nathalie questioned why Adeline’s pretty dress was covered in ash and soot, but didn’t get an honest answer. It didn’t matter, as she was getting changed into pajamas. When it was time for her to go to sleep, Gabriel came in to join them for story time. Just before she was to go to sleep, Nathalie asked her daughter, “Are you excited?” 

“For what?” 

“To go to school.” 

Adeline had almost forgotten. She was going to be like her big brother, and going to school this year. She had a big smile on her face. “Yes Mama, I can’t wait! I’m going to be just like Adrien and have homework.” 

The parents chuckled, just excited that their daughter was excited to go. They were sad that they couldn’t take her, however they believed that she would be okay being taken by Adrien. “We’re glad that you’re so excited. You’re going to meet so many friends, you know.” Nathalie said, as she tucked Adeline in. “You’re such a big girl now…” 

Adeline simply smiled. “I know Mama… I promise to make you and Papa a pretty picture tomorrow, okay?” 

Gabriel smiled. “That sounds wonderful. You’re such a cute little artist.” He said, holding up the picture she drew earlier of her and Emilie. “But you need your sleep now.” He replied. He leaned in to kiss her forehead, and Nathalie did the same. “Good night, ma princesse. Sweet dreams.” He replied, as he and Nathalie took their leave. The lights were shut off, and the door was shut quietly. Adeline settled into bed, clinging onto her stuffed Rarity doll. Tomorrow should be a breeze, especially with special friends like she has. 


	32. Chapter 32

“Adeline, it’s time to get up…” Nathalie said gently, flipping on the light switch. Adeline slowly opened her eyes, sitting up and rubbing them to fully wake up. She stared at Nathalie. “Do you know what today is?” 

“Today?” 

“Well, yes… but it’s your first day of school.” Nathalie pulled out a hanger from the closet. The two of them had gone through and picked out an outfit for the first day of school. Of course, Adeline chose her absolute favorite My Little Pony shirt with a pair of jeggings, and light up sneakers. She also chose to pull her hair back in a half ponytail, with a bow-ponytail holder in light blue. Nathalie helped Adeline pull her outfit together, and pack her backpack. Once dressed, Adeline went downstairs to go eat some breakfast. Adrien was already there eating his breakfast, dressed and ready to go to his classes at university. She sat next to her big brother, and smiled at him. 

“Good morning, Adeline. Are you excited about school?” 

She nodded, as she took a bite of her croissant, before taking a sip of her chocolate milk. She’s been thinking about it ever since she got to see the school she was attending with her parents, and Adrien. There were so many fun things, including a playground, toys, and painting, too! Plus, she’d get to take the metro with her big brother everyday. How much better could it get? Once they had finished their breakfasts, Adrien went to retrieve his backpack. Gabriel and Nathalie waited in the atelier, with Nathalie holding her daughter’s backpack in one hand, with Solomon in her other arm. When Adrien came down with his bag, Nathalie turned to him. “Be careful, alright?” 

“Don’t worry Nathalie… we will.” 

Gabriel hugged Adeline. “Be good, ma princesse… okay?” 

“Yes Papa, I’ll be very good.” She replied, as she kissed his cheek. 

He then turned to Adrien. “Pay attention in class, son. I expect you to learn a lot.” 

Adrien smiled. “Don’t worry, Dad… no sleeping in class for me.” 

“Good… you two should get going, or you’ll miss your metro.” 

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. Come on, Addy, let’s go.” He grabbed for her hand, as they walked to the door. “Bye guys.” 

Adeline turned her head and waved. “Bye Mama, bye Papa… see you later!” She called back gleefully, as she and Adrien headed to the metro station. The adults watched their kids heading off to school. Though a bit sad, Nathalie returned to work. Gabriel followed behind her. While they were walking, Adrien looked to his sister. “So, Addy… what are you looking forward to most?” 

Adeline pondered his question for a moment. “Getting to paint and learn new things.” 

“Good answer…” He replied. Soon, they arrived at the Metro station, and walked down the steps to the platform. Adrien scanned their passes at the gate, as they walked through. Just in time, too, because their train arrived just a minute later. They boarded, and sat down, with Adeline in the window seat. As their train rolled out of the station, Adrien began to text Marinette, Alya and Nino. He asked them if they were ready for classes- and they were. The four of them applied to a university in Paris, just a commute away from their quartier. Alya was enrolled in their journalism program, Marinette got accepted into the honors program in fashion design, and Nino went into audio production with a minor in music. As for Adrien, he was undeclared. He certainly wasn’t sure on what he wanted to do in life, and was glad that he decided to stay at home while he figures it out. He desperately wanted to leave when he was old enough, as he had enough of Gabriel, but as time went on… he changed his mind and decided he wasn’t as ready as he thought. Gabriel and Nathalie were more than okay with it, though. 

As he heard their stop called out, Adrien quickly put his phone away, and ushered Adeline off the train. As they headed up the staircase and to the street, Adrien had to recall which way Addy’s school was. He was pretty sure it was left, so left they went. He seemed to underestimate how close it was to their stop. They arrived at Sacré-Coeur Maternelle. There was a big playground, with some kids already outside. It was a bit weird for Adrien, seeing as it was parents dropping off their kids, but he didn’t mind. They walked through the gate and into the school. He got her all signed in with her teacher. A young woman, with blond hair tied in a bun then approached Adeline, and took her backpack to put away. “Hello Adeline, I’m your teacher, Mademoiselle Bellecourt. Are you ready?” 

Adeline nodded. She waved goodbye to Adrien, as he exited to head to university. Now, she was starting to feel a little scared, but knew she was brave enough to handle it. Mama told her she was a big girl, and that big girls don’t cry when they go to school. Papa explained that she’d meet lots of new friends, and learn lots of new things that he and Mama couldn’t teach her. When she entered the classroom, she saw there were a few boys and girls there, and lots of toys. She was immediately drawn to the blocks, as it’s one of the few toys that she doesn’t have at home. Her hand plunged into the bucket of multi-colored pieces of wood, and she began to pull them out one by one. What was she supposed to do? She placed the two pieces on the floor, and then began to see the fun. She began to build a multicolored castle, using the long, tall ones as spires, and the square ones for the walls. Suddenly, she was approached by another little girl. Adeline looked up at her, and she seemed vaguely familiar. She had bright blue eyes and hair, so blonde that it was almost the color of snow. 

“Hi, I like your shirt.” The girl said, as she smiled. She had her hair tied up in pigtails. She wore a white shirt with a little smiling sun on it, with matching leggings. Her hair ties were yellow. 

Unsure of how to reply to such flattery, Adeline said, “Oh… thank you.” 

“My favorite pony is Rarity, but I really love Rainbow Dash too.” The other girl sat herself beside Adeline. A bit uncomfortable, Adeline scooted away from her slightly. “What’s your name?” She asked. 

“I’m… Adeline. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Félicité.” 

Adeline was very grateful she was instructed on how to properly introduce herself. “Nice to meet you.” 

Mlle Bellecourt then called for the student- it was time to start class. The students gathered around, and as instructed by their teacher, all of them introduced themselves. After all the students introduced themselves, the kids were handed a piece of paper, with their names spelled out on it. Their instructions were to decorate them as they want. They were given markers and stickers to share, and the kids immediately went to work. Adeline took one marker of every color, and began to color her name. Of course, she started with purple, her favorite color. As she was coloring the A in her name, Félicité peered over to see what her new friend was doing. When she spotted the yellow marker, she took the liberty to ask, “Can I use that marker?” 

Adeline looked, seeing that she was pointing to the yellow one, and nodded. She looked up, to see that her classmate had colored her name, filling in the remaining letters with yellow. It seems like she colored her name red and yellow. Once she was finished, Félicité passed the marker back, and then reached for the stickers. She went right for the Kawaii Kats book, and started to flip through it. Adeline went back to coloring, but those stickers looked like a good idea. 

“Those stickers are so cute.” Adeline commented. Félicité turned, holding the sticker book in her hand.

“They are! You want one?” 

“Yes please…” 

The girls began to flip through the sticker book, before finding a whole new page of stickers. They began to plaster their pictures with the stickers, giggling all the while. When the teacher called time up, they stopped. Mlle Bellecourt began to make her rounds. “Wow Simone, yours is very creative. Did you try to make a beach scene?” Simone nodded, holding up her work to show the rest of the kids. They were impressed. A little boy by the name of Léon used the monster truck stickers very liberally with his, and Juliette used all sorts of food stickers on her, with a little rainbow, too. Mlle Bellecourt then stopped. “Very nice, Adeline and Félicité. I see you two found your favorite stickers.” The girls giggled, as their teacher collected the art pieces, to hang on the wall so that they could look at them. “You did wonderfully, little ones. Now, it’s storytime. Let’s sit down on the floor, okay?” 

The kids got up, scrambling to sit on the rug in front of a chair. The story selected was, appropriately, about a little boy’s first day of school. He was scared, but when he got there, he learned all sorts of things- like how to write his name, letters and numbers. He made some new friends, too. Once the story ended, Mlle Bellecourt asked her students how many of them missed their parents- which all of them raised their hand. She assured them it was natural, but going to school to learn was also natural. After their conversation, it was snacktime. The kids went to find their backpacks, retrieving their snacks from their cubbies. Adeline and Félicité grabbed their snacks, and sat next to each other. 

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Adeline asked. 

Félicité hummed as she ate a slice of her apple. “Yep! I have a big brother, but he’s in heaven.” Adeline’s eyes went wide, as her brain finally put two and two together. This was Damien’s sister. She had no idea if this was a set up or just a coincidence. Emilie had told her that she knows things and Adeline does not, and will find out one day. This had to be one of them. Félicité seemed confused at Adeline’s blank stare. “Um… are you okay?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I have a big brother and a baby brother. Actually, my big brother brought me here.” Adeline responded, trying to shake her internal panic away. She continued to eat her crackers, as she sipped her water. 

“I’ve always wanted a little brother or sister.” Félicité replied, as she finished off her apple slices. 

“You can have mine. He does nothing but sleep and cry and poop.” Adeline scoffed. 

The girls laughed, but then were called by their teacher to clean up. It was time for outdoor play. Of course they all wanted to go out immediately, so they cleaned up quickly. Their teacher was very impressed, and then had them line up by the door. They walked down the hallway, maintaining silence the best a group of small children could. When outside, they were sent on their way, allowing them to burn off some energy they had probably built up from all the activities in the first block of their day. Adeline and Félicité played on the equipment with some of the other boys and girls, while the remaining kids were playing tag and running circles around the play structure. The group of kids on the play structure immediately jumped into a game of “battle pirates”. Captain Simone with her crewmates Adeline and Félicité raided Captain Léon’s ship, having to fight past crewmates Marceline and Maximilien. By the time Simone had successfully obtained the “prize”, Mlle Bellecourt called for the students to come back and it was time to head inside. Some of the kids were exhausted after sufficiently burning off all their energy. Just in time for naptime. While the kids were getting their nap mats out from their backpacks, their teacher was setting up some soft music and dimming the lights. The kids were laying out their mats, and then removing their shoes. Adeline placed her shoes off to the side, at the foot of her mat. She laid down, and closed her eyes. 

As she drifted to sleep, the first person she saw wasn’t Emilie, but her grandpa. She must be busy, fighting off the evil. 

“Hey kiddo!” Alaire greeted her, sweeping her up into a hug. “How’s school going?” 

“Good!” She replied, hugging him back. “I met some new people.” 

“I see that. That Félicité girl sure is something special, isn’t she?” 

“Wait… how did you know?” 

“A certain someone told me about her before.” He winked. That pretty much confirmed her suspicions. 

“Damien?” 

“No… but Madame Emilie told me about him, and her.” 

“Was this a coincidence, or was this a set up?” 

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, my dear… Come on, want to see Grandmere and your auntie?” 

Adeline nodded, as Alaire carried her off. As they entered a new place, she rubbed her eyes. It seemed like a house- but from the past. Elaine was seemingly cooking up something. Do angels even need to eat? She supposed that maybe they do. 

“Ah, welcome dear granddaughter. Glad you could come and visit.” Elaine smiled warmly, as she removed a pan from the stovetop. Alaire sits his granddaughter on a chair, as his wife serves up what appeared to be french toast. She raised an eyebrow at the food. The french toast seemed fluffy, and topped with a sparkly, fluid substance. It seemed like it was magical honey. 

“So are you enjoying school so far?” Elaine asked. 

Adeline nodded. “I do. But I miss Mama and Papa.” 

“Oh, they miss you too, dear… we’ll give them a sign that you’re thinking of them on your behalf. What would you like that to be?” 

“How about a feather? That’s what Miss Emilie leaves for me…” 

“Ah, of course. A good choice.” The woman said, as she reached for her wings. She plucked out a feather, and held it to her lips. With a gentle blow, the feather drifted off, dissolving like snow. Adeline was amazed by the feat. She wished she could see her parents’ reactions to the divine gift. 

“Grandpa… what is that?” Adeline asked, pointing to the plate of food. 

“Ah, this? This is manna, pan fried and topped with spirit honey. I’d offer you a bite, but I don’t think angel food is good for living people. 

Adeline understood- it looked delicious, though she couldn’t smell anything. Perhaps only the divine could smell such food. She then turned to Catherine, who was sitting in her high chair. She had a bottle, filled with milk. Like the honey, it shimmered in the light. She assumed it was probably spirit milk. Catherine drank the milk from the bottle, seeming to love every drop. Adeline then asked, “What’s the difference between spirit honey and normal honey?” 

“Well, spirit honey is cultivated differently than honey on Earth, dear…” Elaine started, as she took a bite of her manna with spirit honey. “The spirit honey is cultivated by a special group of angels. Not even we know the secrets.” 

“Oh… cool. But what about the bread?” 

“It is provided to us, as is most of our food, by God.” 

Adeline was astonished. “Wait… really?” 

Alaire sets his fork down. “Of course, kiddo. Why wouldn’t he? He cares for all of his angels.” 

She was slightly skeptical, though she wouldn’t outright admit it. “Okay...” Adeline felt a strange force within her. Nap time must be almost over, judging from how her form was turning translucent. “Will I see Miss Emilie later?” She then asked. 

Elaine nodded. “Yes. And us, as well. We want to hear  _ everything _ about your first day.”

“Of course, Grandma. I love you… and I love you too, Grandpa.” Adeline stood up from the table, and walked towards the door. “But I have to go now. I’ll see you later.” 

They waved goodbye, knowing full well that their granddaughter’s time to wake up was now. Adeline awoke, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She felt nice and refreshed. 

“Hi Adeline!” Félicité greeted her. “What were you doing?” 

“Uh… napping?” Adeline asked, as she was putting her shoes on. 

“You were kind of talking in your sleep.” 

“Oh! Really?” Adeline looked away, face flushing. “I’m sorry. I was talking to my grandma and grandpa.” 

Félicité looked around. “Where?” 

“In my dream.” 

“Oh… that’s cool. I wish I could do that.” 

Adeline said nothing, but simply stowed her nap mat away. The kids reconvened. They started their lessons on the alphabet. Today, they were going to work on the letter A, since it was the first letter. They wrote it, found words that started with A, and Adeline even got recognized for her name starting with A. Then, the kids were tasked with drawing their families. The last thing on the agenda for the day was lunch. Lunch was then served to all the kids, who were definitely hungry for lunch at this point. As they were eating, Mlle Bellecourt told the kids they did really well today. All the kids had fun, as they all raised their hands when asked if they had a good time today. Once lunch was wrapped up, they all pitched in to clean up. Then, they were given free time to play with the toys in the class in the remaining minutes before parents, guardians and caretakers were due to start picking them up. 

Adeline and Félicité, joined by Léon and Simone, all took to the block bucket. They began to work together to build a giant castle. When Adrien made it to pick up his sister, he smiled when he saw her playing with the other kids. He secretly took a picture, so that he could show his father and Nathalie later. “Hey Adeline! Are you ready to go home?” 

Adeline smiled as she turned her head to Adrien. “Yes Adrien! I have to go home now… bye bye!” She waved goodbye to her friends, who waved back to her. Mlle Bellcourt handed Adrien her backpack, as she was let out of the room. 

“It was nice to have you, Adeline. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Have a good day.” She said with a smile.

“Bye, Mademoiselle Bellecourt!” Adeline called, as she waved to her teacher as she and Adrien exited the school and to the metro station. On the metro ride, Adeline told Adrien everything- how she made pretty art, met new friends and even got to play with blocks! She really liked the blocks. She asked Adrien about what he did in school. He explained that he did math, and reading, and she commented on how that sounded boring. He agreed, and they had a laugh. After they arrived at their metro stop, and made their way up to the street, they walked home. As they opened the door, Adrien was not expecting to see Nathalie, let alone his father and Nathalie there to greet them, with their little brother, too. 

“Welcome home, ma princess… did you have a good day?” Gabriel asked, as he got down to hug Adeline. She hugged him back. 

“Yes, Papa, I did. I made you a pretty picture, as you wanted…” She replied, as she went to fish it from her backpack. It was a family portrait, the paper slightly crinkled due to it being in her backpack, but still very clear on who it is. Gabriel, Nathalie, Adrien, herself and Solomon. 

“This is very nice, dear… Papa will frame it and keep it safe.” He tells her, as he shows Nathalie. She also seemed to think the picture was very sweet, and agreed to find a frame for it quickly. Unfortunately, the adults had to go back to work, leaving their children to be off to their own devices. Adeline wanted to color in her coloring book, so she went up to her room to do just that. Adrien had homework to do, so that’s what he decided to spend his afternoon doing. He didn’t have any practices on this particular day, but tomorrow had fencing. 

After a few hours passed, it was time for dinner. It gave Adrien some time to think things over about his life, instead of actually doing all of his homework. As the family sat down to dinner and began to eat, Adrien looked his father dead in the eyes and asked, “Father… should I ask Marinette to marry me?” 

Gabriel nearly choked on the carrot he was eating at his son’s question. “Adrien, what the hell are you thinking?” 

“Well… I love Marinette. And I want to marry her. So why not ask now?” 

“You’re a little young to ask such a question, don’t you think?” 

“I mean… I guess, but what am I supposed to give Marinette for Christmas? I want to give her something incredible.” 

“Adrien, Christmas isn’t for another few months… Why are you so worried?” Nathalie asked. 

As Adrien was expressing his concerns, Adeline noticed a certain piece of jewelry attached to Nathalie’s lapel. It was familiar, in a way she couldn’t recall why. As she was quietly eating her dinner, the vague memory of the brooch resurfaced! It was the peacock miraculous. She had forgotten about it for a while, if she were to be completely honest, but now that she saw it… she wants it. She wanted her mama to see her parents and sister again, and if she was right… This could help her. 

“Mama? Can I have your thingie?” Adeline said, pointing at her chest to indicate the brooch on her mother’s. 

Nathalie looked. She must have forgotten to take it off. “Oh no, absolutely not.” 

“Why not?” Adeline whined. 

“Because, this is not a toy, and certainly isn’t meant for little kids.” Nathalie explained. 

Adeline pouted, as she finished eating her supper. She wasn’t that little, and she just wanted to do something nice for Mama, too. If she can’t get it by asking, then she’d just have to take it by force. It’s a task that sounds easier than it is, though. 


	33. Chapter 33

When being put to bed, Adeline noticed her mother was still wearing that brooch. She’d have to take it off eventually, right? And then, she would have her chance to get what she had her heart set on. After her bath, she sat on the bathroom counter as her mother dried her hair. Adeline hated this part. It was so boring, and the hair dryer was so hot. It burned the tips of her ears. All she could do was just sit there. She squirmed, which frustrated Nathalie. While it didn’t take long, five minutes was a lot to her, especially when Adeline knew she had better things to do. When Nathalie was satisfied with her work, she put away the hair dryer. She escorted her daughter into her bedroom, which was connected to her bathroom. The young girl climbed into bed and laid down. The dissatisfaction was evident on her face- she wasn’t tired, and she certainly didn’t want to go to sleep. Nathalie soon came to her bedside, with a book in hand. 

“What’s the matter, Adeline?” Nathalie asked. 

Adeline pouted, “Not tired.” 

“Well, you’ll be tired soon enough. I’ll read you a book, and then you need to go to bed. You want to be well rested for school tomorrow, don’t you?” 

“I guess…” She grumbled, as she pulled the blanket up. Her eyes looked at the brooch, still pinned to her mother’s jacket. While she was tempted to just steal it, she knew better than to try anything. Plus, she wasn’t dexterous enough to accomplish the task on her own.Nathalie began to read the book. It was Adeline’s all time favorite,  _ Madeline _ . A classic story with a timeless character. Plus, Adeline easily could picture the young red haired girl at places around Paris. She had already requested to be Madeline for Halloween, a costume choice that Gabriel noted and agreed to. When Nathalie finished the last page, she closed the book. 

“Good night, my darling…” She said before kissing Adeline on the forehead. Nathalie stood up, put the book back on the shelf. 

“Good night, Mama.” Adeline replied, and watched her mother exit her room. When the door closed, Adeline’s eyes closed. She tossed and turned, but still felt restless. She just knew she had to get her grubby hands on that jewel, but how? Maybe Miss Emilie could help… Though she couldn’t ask her if she couldn’t get to sleep first to meet up with her. After letting out a deep exhale, she turned to her side, and stared at the wall that was in front of her. She reached out, and ran her index finger along the lilac surface. In her mind, she was drawing on her wall, the figure of an angel- as best as she could. As soon as she wrapped up her air drawing, her eyelids began to grow heavy, and she yawned softly. Her arm fell down to her side and soon slipped into a slumber. 

When her eyes opened again, she found herself in another place, one that was very familiar. Emilie appeared before her. They hugged, having not seen much of each other today. 

“Did you enjoy school today?” Emilie asked. 

Adeline simply nodded. “I met a new friend today, too. Félicité is her name…”

Emilie smiled gently, knowing that their paths were meant to cross as she discussed with Damien. “Ah, what a lovely name… She sounds delightful.” 

“She really is! She’s my best friend.” 

“But you just met her.” 

“I know. But she’s still my best friend.” 

Emilie smiled fondly, proud of the young girl for making a friend so soon. She had to pretend, however, as if the person Adeline befriended was a surprise, though. 

“That’s very sweet, little one. Now, what will we be doing tonight?” 

Adeline perked up. “Mama was wearing your peacock pin. I want it, but she said no… I wanna meet Dusuu!” She explained. 

Emilie recognized how bad of an idea this was… but hey, the miraculous was fixed. What harm could it do, right? “Okay, but no transforming this time, okay?” 

“Okay…” Adeline promised. 

With that, Emilie kissed the child’s forehead. Adeline blinked, as her eyes began to glow a bright white. From above, she could see her mother standing up, and unpinning the brooch. However, instead of putting it away, it seems like she left it on her desk before exiting the room. It served as a perfect window of opportunity, and she was going to take it. The vision ended, and she looked at the angel. “I get it now.” She stated. 

“No no, wait. Your mother and father must be asleep first. You don’t want them to wake up and catch you, right?” 

Adeline shook her head. She would be getting a big talking to if she was caught, and she’s seen how scary Papa is when mad and she couldn’t take that risk again. “When can I go?” 

“I’ll tell you. Be patient. It’s a virtue.” Emilie lectured. There had to be some morals to give to such an impressionable vessel. “In the meantime…” With a snap of her fingers, Adeline found herself at a carnival-- of course, loaded with all the candy and unhealthy foods she sees all the time. Papa and Mama forbade her to eat it, unless it was a special occasion. She grabbed candy floss, and took a big bite. Though technically not eating anything, the sugar surge made her feel giddy, as she continued to consume the sweet treat. Bits of the pink substance stuck to the corners of her mouth. In true motherly fashion, Emilie used her robe to clean up the child’s face, all while watching for the coast to be clear. Adeline watched as well. It was still strange to see her house, and all the rooms from high above. Emilie looked to Adeline with a soft and gentle smile. “Now I think it’s time…” She replied. Adeline nodded, now giddy to go get her prize. She walked towards the edge of the realm, before slowly fading back into reality. Her eyes opened. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Peeling back the blankets, she placed her feet onto the floor, and made her way to her bedroom door. She reached up and opened the door slowly. It opened just enough for her to slip through. Her eyes shifted around. Judging from the lights shining from under the door, she noticed that Adrien was still awake. She tiptoed carefully to the staircase, and proceeded to walk down. This was the first time she walked down them alone and unsupervised, as Gabriel or Adrien usually carried her or held her hand as she walked up and down. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t allowed to go up and down by herself- this was a cakewalk. When she reached the bottom floor, she stepped off quietly, and looked around the foyer. The moonlight shone in through the large windows higher up and along the front wall of the house. She padded over to the office doors, and stared at them. How did these open? There were no door handles. She leaned against the door, putting her whole weight onto it. With a soft click, the door popped open, and she slipped in. 

This room was far scarier than she remembered. Perhaps it was the shadows the dress mannequins were making on the walls- their forms massive and elongated across the walls. Their headless forms somehow still staring at her- they knew what she was doing was very wrong and naughty. Doing her best to ignore the invisible eyes watching her, she searched the glass desk to her left. Papers, stapler, mostly boring adult things. From the corner of her eye, the moonlight refracted off of a shiny piece of metal. Its blue-green enamel stood out to her. Jumping up, she was able to snatch the brooch off the desk. Dopamine surged through her as she retreated from the office, and quietly crept up the stairs. Thankfully, her baby brother and parents didn’t wake up, and Adrien was too distracted doing whatever he was doing to notice that she’d left in the first place.

Once she shut her bedroom door, she excitedly affixed the brooch to her pajama top. From the brooch flew a little blue peacock-like kwami. She zipped around the little girl’s head, excited to be free. 

“Wheeee! Oh Miss Nathalie, we’re going to have so much fun toni-- Wait, where am I?” She asked. 

“My room.” Adeline whispered, her eyes looking around. The kwami was being quite loud- hopefully not loud enough to wake everyone else up, though. 

“And who are you?” 

“I’m Adeline.” 

Dusuu’s eyes went wide. “Ooh, you’re Miss Nathalie’s DAUGHTER! Hi, I’m Duusu. Oh wow, this is so exciting!” She replied, as she nuzzled herself into the little girl’s cheek. Adeline smiled, used a finger to pet the creature. 

“Mama told you about me?” 

“Oh my gosh, YES!” 

“Well, like what?” Adeline asked. Dusuu perched herself on the child’s head. She began to talk about all about what Nathalie had said about the child- how she was a bit of a handful, but an absolute joy. How even Mr. Gabriel was happier, and Adrien too… a great, albeit unexpected addition-- her and Solomon both. 

Adeline yawned, smiling at all the kind words the kwami told her. Emilie was watching-- not entirely trusting that the child wasn’t going to use the miraculous improperly. She needed to at least tell her more about it. The miraculous was a powerful tool, and not one to be abused. She knew that she was guilty as charged for abusing the peacock power, but vowed to give Adeline proper instructions. 

“I’m really sleepy, Dusuu… we can play tomorrow! I’ll take you to school with me and we can play there with my new friends.” Adeline explained, as she put her hand over the brooch. “But I need to take this off now. Mama will be mad if she finds out it’s missing.” 

“Oh yes, she and Mr. Gabriel will be upset.” The kwami replied, as she flew to Adeline’s side. The toddler climbed back into bed and laid down. Under the blankets, she removed the brooch, the kwami disappearing back into her jewel. Carefully, she tucked the brooch under her pillow, before falling asleep once more. When Adeline saw Emilie again, instead of having their normal fun, Emilie took the time to be responsible. 

“Alright… I think it’s time we have a talk, little one…” Emilie started. 

Adeline sighed in exasperation. “What did I do? Papa only gives me talks when I’m in trouble.” 

“You’re not in trouble… yet. That brooch is very special. It’s a miraculous.” 

“A what?” 

“A miraculous. It’s a magical piece of jewelry. You can turn into a person with superheroes… with a little help from its kwami.” 

“Dusuu?” 

“Yes, Dusuu is associated with the peacock. Anyway, let me explain to you more… because you can get really hurt if you do something wrong, okay?” Emilie closed her fist. When she reopened it, she had materialized a fully functional peacock miraculous. It wasn’t broken, either, so now she could properly use it for the first time. Emilie affixed the brooch to her linens. 

She transformed, and turned into La Paonne. Adeline was awestruck-- Miss Emilie looked beautiful! 

Emilie then demonstrated how to make sentimonsters. It was a perfect recreation of Gabriel, upon Adeline’s request. The young child was just impressed that with just a feather from the fan, and a spare halo, La Paonne perfectly recreated Gabriel Agreste, who did just anything she said. These miraculous were so incredible. She asked if there was more, and Emilie told her that there was more. In fact, there were several different types, all around the world. Adeline craved to know more… but alas, Emilie’s lesson was cut short. It was time for the young child to get up, and get ready for school. As the two said their goodbyes, Emilie took senti-Gabriel's amok away, before poofing away her dream miraculous. 

Nathalie helped get Adeline ready for her school day. Getting dressed, packing up her backpack, feeding her (and Adrien) a healthy, nutritious breakfast to start off their days, and making sure the chef packs snacks for both of them. Adrien insisted he could just buy his own, but of course, Gabriel didn’t want his son eating processed chips and crackers-- only the finest food for his eldest son. Before it was time to go, Adeline asked to go grab a toy from her room to bring with her to school. Gabriel agreed, holding her hand as they headed up the stairs. Adeline ran into her room, quickly retrieving the peacock miraculous and then one of her pony figures. She tucked the brooch into her pocket, and held the toy in both her hands. “Okay Papa, I’m ready.” 

“Alright, let’s get you and your brother on your way then.” He responded, scooping her up and carrying her down the stairs. The parents then said their goodbyes, as Adrien and Adeline headed out the door to school for the day. Once the door was shut, it was time for Gabriel and Nathalie to begin their workday. When their kids were out the door, they headed into the office, giving each other a little smooch to make sure they both survived the day. As Nathalie looked at her desk, she noticed that something was off… The peacock miraculous she had left on her desk was now gone. 

“Gabriel, did you move stuff on my desk again?” 

“No, why?” 

“Oh no, it’s gone then…” 

“What are you talking about, mon amour?” 

“The peacock miraculous. I left it on my desk, and now it’s gone.” 

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “I thought you were going to put it away.” 

“And I thought you were going to.” Nathalie retorted, as she sat at her desk. 

“Alright, let’s not argue… I’m sure it’s bound to turn up soon…” Gabriel assured his wife, as he pressed a button for his podium computer. 

Nathalie nodded, while booting up her computer. They’d have to just look diligently, and it should be around.

As Adrien and Adeline walked to the top of the street from the metro station, they headed towards Adeline’s preschool first. They decided to walk a different route today, just to see what other ways there were in this part of Paris. About a block and a half away from the preschool, there was a toy store. When they walked by, Adeline noticed a doll in the window- one of her favorite storybook characters, Madeline. She stopped, and caused Adrien to stop as well. Of course, it was not open yet, as it was still fairly early in the morning.

“What do you see, Adeline?” Adrien asked, watching his little sister’s wonderstruck expression gazing at the red-haired doll in the window. 

“Look Adrien, It’s Madeline!” She pointed out, a finger to the glass. 

“...If you’re good at school today, then we can come by here before we go home. Deal?” Adrien asked, extending a pinky. 

Adeline nodded, engaging in a pinky promise before the pair headed on their way. Adrien got her checked in and settled in her class before it was time to head to class himself. When Adrien left, it was Dusuu’s time to shine. She pulled the miraculous out from her pants pocket, affixing it to her shirt. The other kids in the class were amazed by the kwami, before Mlle Bellecourt decided to intervene, at which point, the kwami pretended to be a doll. Adeline was told to put her away in her bag until it was play time. She agreed, before class began. 

At home, however, Nathalie and Gabriel were frantically retracing steps to figure out where that damn thing could have possibly went, all while conducting their normal businesses. While Adrien and his girlfriend were the only ones who knew of the fact that Hawk Moth and Mayura were them, they still felt the need to keep that fact secret to the rest of the world. Jail time was still something on the back of their minds, even if it was highly unlikely after all these years. After hours of searching the entire mansion and still nothing, a thought crossed his mind. “Why don’t we check the cameras?” 

“Why didn’t you think of that earlier?” Nathalie asked, raising a brow as she peeked around her monitor at him. 

Gabriel sighed as he turned to the massive security system mounted at the wall. “I just didn’t think of it, I suppose…” He replied, starting to rewind through the night time footage. Nathalie joined him at his side, and his arm draped over her shoulders. With her left hand, she reached up and held onto it. They began to cycle through the footage, as they saw the office door open… though they couldn’t actually see who or what caused the door to open. The camera was angled too high… or the person was short. They did confirm that someone had stolen the miraculous off of her desk… but the footage was unclear. The footage was so dark that it was nearly useless. 

“Perhaps maybe we should consider adding night vision to the security system?” Nathalie asked, as she gripped her husband’s hand. 

“Not a bad suggestion. Though I think I may have an idea of who took it already.” 

“Who?”

“Adeline, of course. The figure looked very small. She’s the only person in this house about that size.” 

“That would make a lot of sense…” Nathalie recounted how their daughter was acting at dinner, and at bedtime last night. “She seemed awfully interested in the miraculous. You don’t think she knows what it is, do you?” 

“Plus, she asked me to get ‘a toy’ from her room to take to school with her.” Gabriel sighed. “She’s just a toddler, Nathalie… I don’t think she does.” Gabriel replied, as he put the security monitors back into hiding. “She probably just wanted it because you had it. Little children want to do whatever the older members of their house do.” 

“I guess you’re right. We’ll have to have a talk with her when she and Adrien return home from school.” 

“So how long do we ground her for?” Gabriel asked. He was met with an intense scowl from a disapproving Nathalie. “...Okay, we won’t ground her. We’ll just give her a warning.” 

At school, however, Dusuu was having the time of her life. She loved the little kids so much, mainly because they treated her so nicely, especially at playtime. Simone even fed her cookies, with the other kids feeding her other treats. Adeline had a feeling, however, that this may be the only time she’d be able to bring the kwami to school with her. This jewel made her feel strange-- she felt a strange sense of disappointment and confusion, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. She did, however, have a feeling she was getting her doll. She’s been good all day. Mlle Bellecourt had said so herself, too. When the end of the school day came around, she discussed to Adrien about Adeline’s behavior for the day. 

“Adeline behaved well today, Adrien. Though perhaps discourage her from bringing her toys to school, as they may be a distraction.” She cautioned, with a gentle smile as she slipped the progress card to him. 

“I’ll be sure to let my parents know, thank you.” Adrien said. Adeline came over, Dusuu sitting on her shoulder. He saw what Mlle Bellecourt meant now. “Let’s get going.. And where did you get that from?” He asked her, pointing to the kwami perched on her shoulder. Plagg poked his head out from Adrien’s shirt, to wave to Dusuu. 

“Oh, I found it on Mama’s desk…” 

“Did she say you could take it?” 

“Well… no…” 

“Adeline, you can’t just take stuff without asking first. Especially that. You don’t know how dangerous it is.” 

She said nothing, as she gave Adrien her hand. “...Do I still get Madeline?” 

He thought about it. She did get a positive report about her behavior today. “Yes, you do. Just don’t take stuff that doesn’t belong to you next time, alright?” 

She nodded, as they exited the school. They walked to the toy shop, where Adeline got the Madeline doll she had seen earlier. She was so excited, giving the toy a tight hug. She thanked her big brother, deeming him to be the best big brother in the universe. Adrien smiled, as they headed home. 

As they arrived home, Gabriel and Nathalie were waiting for them, as they had the day before. Dusuu had hid herself away in Adeline’s backpack now, as the adults began to talk to their children. Both of them had good days today it seems. Gabriel noticed the doll. 

“Where did you get that doll from, Adeline?” He asked her, as he got down on his knee to talk to her directly. 

“Oh, Adrien got it for me. I did so good at school today. This is Madeline.” She beamed with pride. 

“Well, that was nice of him. Did you thank him?” 

She nodded. Adrien confirmed that he received the proper thanks. Gabriel noticed the peacock miraculous pinned to his daughter’s shirt. “Ah, so I see you took Mama’s brooch without asking…” He said, as he removed it from her person. Adeline had a feeling this would be her fate. 

“How did you know it was me?” The child asked. 

“We figured it was you, dear. We saw you on the cameras.” Nathalie said, as she also got down to the young girl’s level. “You shouldn’t take stuff that doesn’t belong to you.” 

“I know… I’m sorry. I just wanted to be like you, Mama.” Adeline replied, as she clutched her new doll tighter. 

Nathalie hugged her daughter. “I understand, but you don’t know if something like that could hurt you. Papa and I don’t want you to get sick again.” 

Adeline looked puzzled at what she meant by ‘again’. Regardless, she responded, “I know how to use it.” 

Gabriel was absolutely perplexed. Nathalie dismissed it as an excuse for her to wear it more often. “No you don’t. You’re too little.” 

“But I do!” She protested. 

“Adeline Aurora, don’t you argue with your mother like that.” Gabriel’s voice raised slightly. The young girl cowered. 

“Sorry Papa. Sorry Mama.” She meekly responded. “...Am I in trouble?” 

“Not this time, but if you do it again, you’ll get punished. Do you understand?” Nathalie asked. Adeline nodded in response. The parents sent her on her way, with Adrien. They went upstairs- Adrien to do his homework, while Adeline played with her toys under big brother’s supervision. The grownups returned to their workspace. Nathalie picked Solomon up from his portable crib, and then grabbed one of his toys. She began to play with the youngest child. Gabriel was thinking over how Adeline claimed to know how to use the peacock miraculous. His mind began theorizing a bunch of bizarre possibilities.

“Oh my god. Nathalie, what if our daughter is a reincarnation of Emilie, or another peacock Miraculous holder? Or even a guardian?” Gabriel asked, sounding slightly concerned. 

Nathalie almost laughed, before realizing his concerns were real. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous. You don’t simply come out of the womb knowing miraculous magic… She’s just making stuff up. She’s a toddler.”

“Alright, I suppose you’re right… But what are we going to do about her?” 

“Well, lock up our things a bit better, and keep our eyes on her better.” Nathalie replied, as she smiled at baby Solomon. 

“God, I hope he’s not like his sister when he gets older.” Gabriel sighed, as he picked up his tablet pencil. 

Nathalie sighed, “It won’t be that bad…” 

“I suppose… but what if she really does know miraculous magic?” 

Nathalie sighed once again, now slightly annoyed with his silly conspiracy theories. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to find out if it happens… it can’t possibly be that bad.” 


End file.
